Newspaper Collections

A guide to The London Library's newspaper collections, in print and online, including our holdings of The Times.

Scope of the collection
The newspaper collections subscribed to by the library, are primarily held online.   Most of our newspapers are in English language and comprise mainly of ‘broadsheet’, so-called quality papers which have been long established. These are held online and are accessible to members onsite, and remotely by signing into the Library’s Catalogue.

Founded in 1841, the Library’s collection has grown each year and we hold titles from the late 18th century onwards on the open shelves.  As a result, our collection reflects the evolution and changes in thinking in a particular subject and does mean that you may come across titles which contain ideas and vocabulary that would be considered abhorrent today. The collection continues to grow with some 5,000 new titles being added each year. As we develop the collection, we seek to ensure that the controversial topics of today are represented from all sides of a debate.

Understanding shelfmarks

The Library’s collection is divided into broad subject areas (e.g. History, Literature, and Topography) and then into smaller areas, arranged alphabetically. Within each subject category, books are arranged alphabetically by their author’s surname or, in the case of edited collections or books with multiple authors, by their title.  Check the catalogue record for the ‘shelved under’ information. 

In order to make the most effective use of space, the collection is also shelved by size. Check the end of shelfmarks for the notations 4to. (Quarto), small folio, folio, and folio extra large, which may indicate a different place to look for the books.   

Collection guide image

Above is an example of a book record from the Catalogue.  Here you can see that the book is available (i.e. on the shelf) in the Science & Miscellaneous section (S.), in the sub-section for Newspapers &c.,  and then shelved under the author Adler.

Labels on the edges of the shelves will guide you through the section. Some shelfmarks are large and are subdivided further by letters marking the authors’ surnames (or titles in the case of edited collections).  

Books may be requested and put aside ready for collection, but we would always encourage members to browse the shelves and discover books serendipitously. Items from the Library’s Special Collections cannot be borrowed but may be consulted in the Library under supervised conditions, given 72 hours’ notice. 

Books and eBooks

The Library’s collection includes both academic eBooks and other fiction and non-fiction eBooks available through the Libby platform. All academic eBooks will appear in your search results in the Library Catalogue. Those available through Libby are also in our Catalogue but can also be searched separately through the Libby platform, which you also need in order to access these titles.

The Library holds a large number of books on the history and development of newpapers and journals and these can be found at S. Newspapers &c.

Journals, eJournals and online resources

The library subscribes to a wide number of online newspapers through individual archives for specific titles and databases. To access any of the newspapers the library subscribes to remotely  or from your device, you must sign into the Library’s Catalogue.

These are some of the most popular newspaper sites the library subscribes to online:

  • 17th-18th century Burney collection
  • British Newspaper Archive
  • Gale OneFile: News
  • Gale Primary Cources
  • Illustrated London News 1842-2003
  • NewsVault
  • The Guardian and The Observer archives 1791-2003
  • The Sunday Times digital archive 1822-2016
  • The Times digital archive 1785-2016
  • The Telegraph digital archive 1855-2016
  • The Daily Mail historical archive 1896-2016


The newspaper databases are primarily archived holdings, that is past or older newspapers of particular publications. Once you select a newspaper database, you can opt to conduct either a basic or advanced search of the newspaper’s issues. Advanced searches are useful if you are searching for a specific the date, and perhaps the title or keywords from the article you are searching for.

Here are our key online newspaper databases.

British Newspaper Archive (BNA) 

This database gives access to the British Library’s digitised collection of local and regional newspapers. Please note, that it does not include the national tabloids such as the Daily Mail, The Sun or Daily Mirror (although you may find the odd article)

Gales Newspapers

Gales has several online platforms that allow access to both historical and more recent editions of newspapers. To access the databases, the library subscribes to, you will need to sign into Catalyst. Gales will give you access to archived newspapers including The Time, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph and recent editions of the above and The New York Times. Please note The recent editions will be in text format only and are not digitised versions of the print newspapers. They are normally available a day or two after publication. There is an advanced option for searching via date or keyword.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers

The library subscribes to the historical archives for The Guardian and The Observer via ProQuest Historical Newspapers.  A complete digital archive covering the period 1791 to 2003. For historical reference The Guardian was founded in Manchester 1821 and known as the Manchester Guardian. It became simply The Guardian in 1959. The Observer was founded in 1791 and is the oldest English language newspaper to have a Sunday edition.

The advanced search option allows you to cross search across both newspapers simultaneously.
Please note that the search options do not include The Observer Sunday Colour Supplement.

If you have any questions about how to search the print and online newspaper collections, please ask staff at the Circulation Desk, or email returns.desk@londonlibrary.co.uk .