The Serial & Government Publications U.S. newspaper collection spans 1690-present. For the purposes of this guide, "current" is loosely defined as those newspapers published in the 21st century (January 2001-present).
Current newspapers are received by the Library in print, microfilm, and/or digital formats, and this varies by title. In general, currently received print format issues are reformatted to microfilm according to a set schedule. A growing number of titles are received in digital format, and there are additional titles available through subscription newspaper databases.
The sections below provide more information about the current newspapers and formats available in the Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room (NCPRR). Please Ask a Librarian to help you determine the availability of specific titles, dates, and formats.
The collection of current newspapers in print and microfilm is comprised of millions of loose issues and thousands of reels of microfilm. The latest print issues and full runs of microfilm of some of the most requested titles are immediately available in the self-service areas of the Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room. All other titles in loose print or microfilm can be requested by title and date at the Circulation Desk; delivery time is typically within 30 minutes.
The latest month's issues of the following newspaper titles are readily available to access and are located on the self-service newspaper shelves in the reading room.
Recent issues may be found in another format such as a digital resource. Ask staff if you do not find what you need.
The following newspapers are readily available in self-service microfilm cabinets in the reading room.
| Newspaper Title | Available Dates |
|---|---|
| Baltimore Sun | May 17, 1837 - November 30, 2017 |
| Chicago Tribune | April 23, 1849 - December 31, 2017 |
| Financial Times | January 1924 - November 29, 2019 |
| London Times | January 1785 - November 30, 2019 |
| London Sunday Times | November 3, 1822 - November 24, 2019 |
| New York Times | September 1851 - February 28, 2019 |
| Philadelphia Inquirer | November 7, 1860 - February 28, 2018 |
| San Francisco Chronicle | January 16, 1865 - April 30, 2018 |
| Wall Street Journal | July 8, 1889 - October 31, 2018 |
| Washington Star | December 16, 1852 - August 7, 1981 |
| Washington Star News Index | 1850, 1870, 1880, 1894 - 1973 |
| Washington Post | December 6, 1877 - February 28, 2018 |
These titles do not circulate through interlibrary loan.
Recent issues may be found in the Stacks platform, in loose print, and/or in a subscription newspaper database. Ask staff if you do not find what you need.
The newspaper world is increasingly digital. Newspapers will often have a website, a digital "e-print" issue, a print issue, or some combination of these. The Division collects content across all of these formats.
Primarily out of concern for copyright, very few current newspaper issues are found freely available online. Many digital newspapers are held in subscription-based resources. The Division purchases such databases, and these resources are available to researchers while on-site at the Library. E-prints, or digital PDF versions of newspaper issues are made available through two machines in the reading room via the "Stacks" platform. Selected news websites are also captured regularly through web archiving.
The General News on the Internet Web Archive contains general news sites with a focus on stories of national interest for all audience levels. The collection contains born-digital publications and publications that were once only available in print and are now only available online. Given the dynamic nature of the 24-hour news cycle of today, these archives are meant to capture as much of the news distribution as possible given current limitations in technology and resources. Websites continue to be added as more titles are identified.
Examples of the sites you will find in the collection include:
Want to learn more? Check out these blog posts:
The Library provides access to myriad subscription-based digital newspaper databases and electronic indexes to newspapers via the E-Resources Online Catalog. Through the catalog, users can discover licensed resources (access limited to registered users on-site and library staff) and free resources on the Web recommended by our reference staff. See Terms of Use for more information on the responsible use of electronic resources. There are several public computer terminals available in the reading room, or you may opt to bring your own device and connect to the Library's free Wifi to access newspaper databases.
A complete list of Current News databases is available. Please note that there is not a way to perform a keyword search within the content of all newspaper databases available in the E-Resources Online Catalog and for this reason, users will need to search within each database individually. Some examples of popular newspaper databases that include recently published regional and national newspapers include:
Stacks is the primary system for access to rights restricted digital materials in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress. In contrast, (a) public domain and other unrestricted digitized content is broadly available via the Library’s public website; and (b) subscription databases and other licensed content is primarily available via the Electronic Resources Online Catalog (EROC).
Materials in Stacks are described and managed through other metadata systems, primarily the Library of Congress Online Catalog.
Examples of titles you will find in STACKS include:
Dallas Morning News 2020 holdings in STACKS. Serial & Government Publications Division.
Dallas Morning News from July 5, 2020 in STACKS. Serial & Government Publications Division.
