North Carolina Newspapers: Tips, Tutorials and Webinars

Consider these tips for getting the most out of your time with newspaper research:

• First define your research question.  Ask the question: what am I looking for?
   
• Frame your question in time and place. You will want to narrow your search to a time period and the geographical area relevant to your question. Then locate the papers and collections most likely to contain the information you are trying to find.
   
• Consider the types of presses (papers) that are most likely to carry the information you are looking for. For example, if you are looking for genealogical information such as marriage, birth, and death information, society news, or property or even court information, you are likely to need community and state level papers -- i.e. "the daily news".  A trade paper for agriculture will be unlikely to help you, unless you are looking for biographical information about a person or information relevant to an individual involved in that trade!  Company information may be found in local and state newspapers or specialty presses.
   
• Consider the types of papers available in a given era and the information they are likely to contain.
   
• Learn the relevant "key words" or vocabularly used during the era you are interested in researching. For example, today we would be unlikely to find the word "nuptials" used in a newspaper for wedding or marriage, but in earlier eras this may have been frequently used.
   
• Consider published and unpublished abstracts and indexes of newspaper content (see the Tools for Locating Newspapers tab in this guide). These publications (often in print, although occasionally available online) provide valuable "ins" to a variety of historical topics from vital records and events, to court and tax information, and other types of newspaper content that was indexed. Contact librarians in the geographical area of your research for help locating these resources.
   
• Be flexible and creative in your thinking!

The State Library of North Carolina has developed three webinar tutorials that are available to help you get the most from your newspaper research. These resources are freely accessible anytime, from anywhere.

• News You Can Use, Part I: An Introduction to North Carolina Newspapers:  This 45-minute introduction to North Carolina newspaper research is designed to give you a comprehensive background on the state's newspapers. It begins with historical context and a brief outline of the state's newspaper history, followed by discussion of the research value of newspapers. It includes a comprehensive look at the types of newspapers available historically and newspaper collections around the state and what can be found in library print or microfilm collections, freely available online, and through a number of subscription database resources. The webinar access also includes a comprehensive list of resources included with the video.
   
• News You Can Use, Part II: Navigating Online Historical North Carolina Newspaper Collections:  This 45-minute webinar tutorial builds on Part I, taking a deeper dive into accessing historical North Carolina newspaper collections, including the Early Newspapers from the State Archives of North Carolina collection available at DigitalNC and the North Carolina Digital Newspaper Collection available through NC LIVE. The webinar gives an in-depth tour of the resources available in these collections as well as important tips for using these individual databases. The webinar access also includes a comprehensive list of resources included with the video.
   
• News You Can Use, Part III: Navigating Online NC Newspaper Collections from NewsBank & NewspaperARCHIVE:  This 45-minute webinar takes a deep dive into two specific subscription databases available from the State Library of North Carolina (to residents and state employees with a library card). The online collections from NewsBank and NewspaperARCHIVE contain historical and contemporary newspaper content and are essential resources for accessing local newspapers from large cities and small communities across North Carolina.  The webinar gives in-depth coverage of the newspapers included in these databases as well as specific strategies for searching the individual collections and platforms. The webinar access also includes a comprehensive list of resources included with the video.

Consider these tips for searching in newspaper databases:

• Create a research plan for your topic and for each database resource you use. Keep track of what you have searched and how -- it's easy to get lost in the weeds!
   
• Simplify your searches and define important key words you will search.
   
• Exact phrase searches work well. If the platform doesn't support exact phrase searching, using quotation marks to create an exact phrase search will help. For example: 
   
• Learn the search features of the particular database platform and read the search help content. This will help you get the most out of your searches.
   
• Many databases provide ways to limit searches by: date, publication, and others. The goal of crafting a well defined search helps to limit search results to the most relevant.
   
• Consider the way words and names were spelled in a given era. For example, historically names like Charles, James, Williams, Joseph, Thomas (and others) were often written as abbreviations: Chas., Jas., Wm., Jos., Thos. in print publications. Consider searching both ways.
   
• Remember that character recognition of original newspaper images is often imperfect. Being willing to try both limiting and expanding your search and trying a variety of search strategies is important.