More newspapers saved for posterity on Papers Past

19 December 2011

More newspapers saved for posterity on Papers Past

More of New Zealand’s early history, as recorded on the yellowing pages of 12 provincial newspapers from around the country, is to be preserved for posterity and made available on the National Library’s Papers Past website.

Some 80,000 newspaper pages from editions ranging from 1862 to 1945 are to be digitised over the next two years, after the National Library invited libraries, newspapers, institutions and community groups to apply to have historic newspapers from their collections digitised and uploaded to the website.

“Papers Past currently contains more than two million pages of New Zealand newspapers and periodicals from between 1839 and 1945, and is the National Library’s most-visited website, with annual page views now in excess of 100 million,” noted National Librarian, Bill Macnaught.

“Papers Past is a feast of news from the historic to the personal, about how we lived and how we developed as a nation. I’m delighted that we’re able to add so much content, with the help of our collaborative partners across the country, for the benefit of New Zealanders everywhere.”

Ten titles will be digitised and uploaded to Papers Past over the next six months:

• Akaroa Mail: approximately 8000 pages from 1921-1939
• Lyttelton Times: approx. 3,500 pages from 1862-1865
• Manawatu Daily Times: approx. 5500 pages from pre-1900 and from 1906-1908
• Manawatu Evening Standard: approx. 8000 pages from pre-1900 and from 1906-1910
• Horowhenua Chronicle: approx. 11,000 pages from 1910-1920
• Bay of Plenty Beacon: almost 7000 pages from 1939-1945
• Hutt News: approx. 5000 pages from 1934-1945
• Northern Advocate: approx. 12,000 pages from 1921-1925 (pending permission from copyright owner)
• Waikato Times: approx. 4000 pages from 1872 and from 1887-1892
• Westport Times: approx. 2000 pages from 1875-1878.

A further two titles will be offered the opportunity to have pages microfilmed over the next six months and digitised in the following financial year:

• Hutt Valley Independent
• Upper Hutt Weekly Review.

The material – which is commonly accessed by genealogists, researchers, historians, students, newspaper columnists and casual browsers – will be available on Papers Past by the middle of next year.

Papers Past: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast

ENDS

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