19th century British Library Newspapers Online

The following announcement was written by the British Library:

June 17, 2009 -- Available for the first time at http://newspapers.bl.uk/blcs, The British Library, in partnership with JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) and Gale, part of Cengage Learning, has today launched the public version of its 19th century British Library Newspaper website.

Bathing machines, children as young as nine smoking and drinking, Vesta Tilley - London's very own Pop Idol, the banking collapse of 1878 and zero percent income tax are just a few of the fascinating items researchers can now look at online.

For the first time ever, users regardless of their location will be able to explore over two million pages of newspaper from 49 national and regional UK titles at the click of a button. With enhanced search capabilities and new imaging techniques, serious and amateur researchers now have access to vivid newspaper reports previously only available via hard copy in Reading Rooms.

Chosen by leading experts and academics to present a cross section of 19th century society, the website offers its users highly illustrated materials on topics as diverse as business and sport, politics and entertainment. The collection focuses on national newspapers such as the Daily News, English regional papers, for example the Manchester Times, home country newspapers from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, weekly titles such as Penny Illustrated Paper and Graphic and specialist titles such that covered Victorian radicalism and Chartism such as Charter.

Users are now able to read first-hand factual reporting of the Battle of Trafalgar in the Examiner and the gory details of the Whitechapel murders in the melodramatic Illustrated Police News. Alternatively, researchers can access reports directly at their desktops on the first FA Cup final between Wanderers and Royal Engineers at the Kenington Oval in 1872 or the first England-Australia Test match in 1877. Some of the most famous authors of the 19th century are also represented, including Dickens and Thackeray.

Searches of the site are free and downloads of full-text articles are available by purchasing either a 24-hour or seven-day pass. Users can buy a 24-hour pass (up to 100 downloads) for £6.99 or a seven-day pass (up to 200 downloads) for £9.99. Access to The Graphic and The Penny Illustrated Paper is free.

Simon Bell, the British Library's Head of Product Development, said: "There's a huge appetite for wider online access to this kind of resource, which is already well-used by Readers at the British Library and by people in Higher and Further Education. The new pay-as-you-go service will enable users across the UK who don't wish to travel to our Reading Rooms in London or Yorkshire to delve into this unrivalled online resource."

Simon Fowler, Editor, Ancestors Magazine, said: "This new service really does open up a major new resource for family historians. Realistically for the first time it is possible to use newspapers to complement other records to build up a rounder portrait of our ancestors, with information that would not be possible to obtain elsewhere."

Alastair Dunning, Digitisation Programme Manager at JISC added: "This is one of many JISC-funded projects which will open up valuable slices of history to new audiences using online channels. The British Library site means genealogists, academics and the public alike now have easy access to a realm of fascinating information - which is core to our ethos of backing innovative uses of technology."   

Jim Draper, Vice President and Publisher at Gale said, "This service fulfills a vision of making these fascinating historical records available to the widest possible audience. Now researchers the world over - historians, genealogists, and the merely curious - can discover the nineteenth century in exciting new ways."

You can also watch a video about the new service at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE-E8SSRHcY or click on the image below.

Comments

[Caroline Gurney]

Many public libraries in the UK (and perhaps in the USA?) have a subscription to this Gale database, enabling library members to access these newspapers for free from home, using their library card number. Check whether this is possible for you before shelling out for a 24 hour or 7 day pass on the public site.

[Richard Heaton]

But for those who don't have access this development is a great opportunity find your "family". There are a few issues remaining around the indexing - e.g. if you are looking for the surname Ranger - you'll find [St]ranger & [st]ranger are included (even if you use the " " marks) so its probaby worth doing a free search first - or narrowing your search to say "John Ranger" - clicking on the picture on the right hand side of the search result allows you to see the relevant snippet of text so you can check the result for that page is indeed your surname reference.

I have made a suggestion that the "killer deal" for family and locak historians will be to offer the 19th Century Collection, the Burney, and the latest digitalisation of 18th and 19th Century material as a searchable package. And hopefully this will be available sometime in the future.

And do remember - when you find a reference in newspaper - that this selection is only the tip of the iceberg and by no means all newspapers are held at the British Library, its worth therefore doing some "old fashioned" research to discover what other local titles* might be available - which may significantly add to the stories you initially uncover.

Best Regards
Richard Heaton

* Access to the Gibson Guide is essential but by no means fully comprehensive so use in conjection with thee British Library integrated catalogue