Tuesday 15 November 2016

PLEASE HELP the Campaign for free access to the British Newspaper Archive



Devon doesn't yet have free access to its newspaper archives, so please fire off a few polite emails to change this. 
Now is the time for budgeting, so it's a good time to flag the British Newspaper Archive to Devon library authority.

The archives of every British newspaper are online, which means that anyone can do historical research. This is particularly exciting for the Villages in Action project Unearth; which aims to discover the histories of 8 Devon communities; including Starcross.
But Devon County libraries authority have not yet subscribed to this amazing resource. When they do, everyone in a library with a Devon library card will have free access.
The British NewspaperArchive is a partnership between the British Library and findmypast to digitise up to 40 million newspaper pages from the British Library's vast collection over the next 10 years. Access to the archive is free across 61 areas of the UK because 61 library authorities have paid a subscription. - anyone in those areas, who has a local authority library card, has free, unlimited access whenever they visit their local authority library.
THIS DOES NOT YET INCLUDE ANY LIBRARIES IN DEVON
The subscriptions are managed by JCS online resources 
 Offering online access to millions of pages of British and Irish newspapers from 1708-1956, the British Newspaper Archive is a fantastic resource for everyone interested in history, and for family and local historians in particular.
Every single word of every issue has been made searchable, and thousands of extra pages are added every week.
"I’m actually addicted to The British Newspaper Archive. I wake up in the middle of the night wondering… did the Victorians ever roller skate? What did people think about Nelson’s column when it was first unveiled? Has anyone ever attempted a tightrope walk over the Thames?
A quick search, and I get my answers. Except then I can’t possibly go back to sleep because one search leads to another. If you’re curious about the past, then The British Newspaper Archive is your best friend for life.” Matt Brown, Editor-at-Large of Londonist



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