This news release is so exciting. Some that I receive are more ho-hum for my own research, but this one is great! I research my late father-in-law’s Arkansas family and have had clients with Arkansas connections. Now to wait for the release of these papers in June!
Excerpts from the great news release:
The Arkansas State Archives, in partnership with the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), has digitized 24 Arkansas newspapers through a joint newspaper digitization project with Newspapers.com in order to provide more access to these resources, Department of Arkansas Heritage Director Stacy Hurst announced today.
The State Archives contributed 208 rolls from 17 different Arkansas newspapers, with a total of 209,000 pages scanned, digitized, and indexed by Newspapers.com. In addition, the digitized newspapers will be made available online for free to patrons in the State Archives research room and at the Central Arkansas Library System.
Newspapers.com began the process of digitization and indexing the papers in February 2017.
Contributions to the project from the State Archives include The Osceola Times, 1873 – 1925; the Helena Weekly Clarion, Feb. 1869 – April 1870; the Helena Weekly World, 1895-1902; the Helena Southern Shield, 1840-1870; the Fort Smith Herald, 1848-1915; the Fort Smith Times, 1898-1909; Arkadelphia’s Southern Standard, 1869-1924; the Pine Bluff Daily Graphic, 1893-1923; the Batesville Guard, 1877-1911; the Batesville Daily Guard, 1907-1924; Hot Springs New Era, 1912-1923; the Monticellonian, 1894-1919; Fayetteville’s The Arkansan, 1859-1861; the Arkansas Banner, 1843-1851; the Arkansas Advocate, 1830-1837; the Arkansas Intelligencer, 1843-1849 and 1857-1858; and the Arkansas Times & Advocate, 1837-1838.
The Central Arkansas Library System also contributed 336 rolls of microfilm from seven Arkansas newspapers. Titles include the Weekly Arkansas Gazette, 1819-1868; Arkansas Gazette, 1865-1922; Arkansas Democrat, 1878-1922; Arkansas Mansion, 1883-1884; Little Rock Daily News, 1919-1922; Mountain Echo, 1886-1922; Nashville News, 1898-1922.
The entire collection of digitized newspapers will be available online to the public via subscription through Newspapers.com by June. The ASA is happy to partner with CALS in working to improve access to these valuable sources of historical information.
© 2017, Paula Stuart-Warren. All rights reserved.
