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Individual Databases
Unless otherwise noted, these resources are available at all Chicago Public Library locations and from home, school or work with a Chicago Public Library card.
AP Images » kid friendly teen pick
AP Images contains newspaper photographs and stock images distributed by the Associated Press (AP). While the majority of the database covers recent events, the whole of the 20th century is represented, with many images from the 19th century as well. In addition to news photos, you'll find newspaper graphs, charts, timelines and maps (More Media > Print Graphics), recent audio clips (More Media > SoundBank), newswire stories (More Media > Text Archive), and publicity photos and graphics (Services > Publicity).
Black Newspapers »
Search for news articles from a number of African American papers, including the Afro-American (Baltimore/Washington D.C.), Chicago Defender, Los Angeles Sentinel, Michigan Chronicle (Detroit) and New York Amsterdam News.
Chicago Defender Historical Archive »
The Chicago Defender Historical Archive allows one to search the complete text, including display and classified advertisements, of this nationally significant African American newspaper from 1910 to 1975. (To search for articles appearing in this paper from 1999 to the present, use Black Newspapers or Illinois Newsstand.)
Chicago Examiner (Chicago Public Library Digital Collections) »
The Chicago Examiner, a William Randolph Hearst publication, began in 1902 as a morning edition to complement the evening edition paper, the Chicago American. The Chicago Public Library's 10-year run of the Examiner, while incomplete, extends from February 1908 to April 1918 and represents the longest run of the paper still available. Search the Examiner by keyword or browse collections on selected subjects. Hint: On the search page, under "Select specific collections," unselect all collections except those for the Chicago Examiner to exclude non-Examiner content from your search.
Chicago Sun-Times/SouthtownStar »
Find articles from the Chicago Sun-Times from 1986 to the present and the SouthtownStar (formerly the Daily Southtown) back to 2004.
Chicago Tribune (1985 to present) »
Search the full-text of all articles in all editions and sections (including the RedEye) of the Chicago Tribune. Coverage is 1985 to present.
Chicago Tribune Historical Archive »
This database allows one to search the entire text of the Chicago Tribune, including classified and display advertisements, from 1849 to 1987.
Chronicling America »
This Library of Congress website features more than 500 digitized U.S. newspapers from 1836 to 1922. Chicago-area papers included are The Broad Ax, an African American newspaper digitized from 1895 to 1922; The Day Book, E.W. Scripps’ experiment in advertisement-free newspaper publishing digitized from 1911 to 1917 and The Chicago Eagle, a publication with a strong focus on municipal political affairs digitized from 1894 to 1920. The Advanced Search offers options for searching by date, keyword and specific state or newspaper title.
Illinois Newsstand »
Find articles from Illinois newspapers including the Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights), Extra, La Raza, Pantagraph (Bloomington) and State Journal Register (Springfield), plus selected coverage of other regional sources.
New York Times »
Find articles from the New York Times going back to 1980. Included are articles from the New York Times Book Review and New York Times Magazine.
ProQuest Newspapers » teen pick
Find articles from hundreds of newspapers and newsfeeds from around the world. Papers covered include the Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights), New York Times, USA Today, Globe and Mail (Canada), The Times (London), The Times of India and Daily Yomiuri (Japan).
Wall Street Journal »
Search for articles from the nation's financial newspaper of record. The database includes articles from 1984 to the present.