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Newspapers: Historical News (Pre-1980)

More on Primary Sources

Discover Historical Newspapers

Historical newspapers are found in databases, on microfilm, through online digital libraries, or in archives and special collections.

  • Some newspaper databases contain many different papers while others hold a single title. You may need to use both types, depending on your topic and goals.
  • Consider geographic location and time period. It can be useful to browse the holdings listed on this guide to choose a paper or database that matches your research topic.
  • Terminology changes over time, so use search terms that are contemporary to the time period.
  • Newspapers may change names over time, so look for the section "Related titles" in the record.

Historical U.S. Newspaper Databases

Historical International Newspaper Databases

Additional Historical Newspapers by Title

Texas Newspapers

Other U.S. Newspapers

International Papers

Microforms

If a newspaper is not available digitally, it may be on microform.

  • Some may have an index, which allows you to search by subject. Without an index, you can only search microforms by date. Find indexes in Library Search or WorldCat.
  • Microform readers are located in Fondren, Bridwell, and Underwood Libraries.
  • Use WorldCat to discover and request titles held by other libraries.

Newspaper Archives at SMU

DeGolyer Library has over 2,000 newspapers, from single issues to unbroken runs of 50 years or more. Most were published in the United States, but we also have representative foreign newspapers from Latin America, Europe, and Asia. 

  • Not every title will appear in Library Search, but we have in-house checklists.
  • Many of our newspapers are stored offsite and can take up to a week to retrieve.

Contact DeGolyer staff about the availability of certain titles.