Collections of old newspapers can be found in three main locations:-
• Local libraries (including university libraries and local archives)
• The British Library Newspaper Library, Collingdale London. http://www.bl.uk/collections/newspapers.html . You can search their database on ( http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/newspapers/welcome.asp )
• The private archives of newspaper companies. (often not open to the public)
Since 1988, a project called NEWSPLAN has worked to catalogue, preserve and microfilm local newspapers throughout the UK .
It is divided into ten regions most of which provide online catalogues of newspaper collections relating to their particular areas. (Only the West Midlands lacks a comprehensive online catalogue).
Each catalogue is organized differently and the following descriptions taken from Newsplan offer a brief guide to what you can expect.
Northern Region:
Online Northern Region NEWSPLAN Files cover the North East region and Cumbria . They record surviving holdings and microfilm of over 900 newspaper titles across Cleveland , Cumbria , Durham , Northumberland, Gateshead, Newcastle , North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and Sunderland . A separate listing of the Cumbrian titles can be accessed via the website of Cumbria Libraries.
North West:
The NEWSPLAN North West Newspaper database contains bibliographical details and locations for over 1,200 local newspapers in libraries and repositories throughout Cheshire , Greater Manchester, Lancashire , Merseyside, and surrounding districts, including the Isle of Man.
Yorkshire and Humberside
This database of local newspaper holdings in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region ( http://www.yli.org.uk/newsplan/news_search.asp ) is searchable alphabetically by newspaper name or by the name of the holding location.
East Midlands:
The database of newspapers for the East Midlands and East Anglia region provides access to the full bibliographical record and locations of local newspaper titles. It covers the counties of Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire , Norfolk , Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Suffolk . The database allows you to search by newspaper title, for newspapers connected to a particular town or county, or find out what newspapers were published in a particular year.
South West:
An Online NEWSPLAN Report for the South West contains bibliographical information and library locations for newspapers from the south west of England . It covers newspapers from Avon ( Bristol , Bath , Radstock, Weston-Super-Mare, and Keysham region), Cornwall , Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset , and Wiltshire.
London and South Eastern Region:
The database of newspapers for London and the south eastern region provides access to full bibliographical records and locations of local newspaper titles, dating from 1717 onwards. It covers the nine counties of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire , Kent , Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex, as well as the 33 London boroughs.
Ireland:
The Online NEWSPLAN Report for Ireland provides biliographical listings and locations of extant files of Irish newspapers held in the National Library of Ireland, the British Library Newspaper Library, as well as in public libraries, universities, archives, and newspaper offices throughout Ireland . There are also extensive bibliographical listings of the newspaper collections - largely Irish but including significant international holdings as well - available as online records for the James Hardiman Library Newspaper Holdings , from the National Library of Ireland, Galway.
Scotland:
Information on microfilm held by the National Library of Scotland is recorded in the National Library of Scotland Online Catalogue .
Wales/Cymru:
The Newsplan Cymru website provides access to a database of Welsh newspapers available in either paper form or on microfilm. The collection of Welsh newspapers in the Welsh Library of the University of Wales , Bangor is one of the most comprehensive in Wales . This Welsh newspaper collections listing provides full title details (including variations), date and place of publishing, background notes, and links to the catalogue entry of the holdings at Bangor University . It is available in English as Welsh Newspapers , and in Welsh as Papurau Cymraeg a Chymreig.
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