History: Media, Newspapers, and Magazines

Newspapers Available to Dunbar Library Users

Newspaper availability in our collection varies depending on geographic coverage and date. For most newspaper titles for which we have a current subscription, we generally retain about 1-2 months worth of the paper copies.  If the newspaper issue you need is more than a few months old,  it is likely either available online through one of the library databases or it is on microfilm.  In some cases, the issue or article you need may be available both through one of the library's online databases AND on microfilm.

Both current paper copies and microfilmed newspapers are kept on the 2nd floor of the Dunbar Library in the Current Periodicals and Media Room (through the double doors near the Information Desk). 

Unless otherwise noted, the resources below are available to Wright State University students, faculty, and staff through Wright State University Libraries institutional subscriptions.

You will notice that there is some overlap in the date coverage between the microfilm and online coverage of some of the titles listed below. 

Note: Entering a date search in the search blank with no other search parameters added is not very useful. Even if you limit a date search to front page articles only, you can click to see each article but don't have the context of where on the page they were or how large they are on the page. 

If the only information you have is the date, browsing for the date in question may be more successful than searching by date for getting some needed context.  Remember that browsing a PDF of a newspaper issue in the online database tends to be a little more time consuming than browsing an issue on microfilm because clicking through pages online takes longer than scrolling through pages on film.

Search Newspaper Holdings in the Library Catalog

You can search for a particular newspaper title in the catalog to determine if Wright State has holdings for that title. The catalog records will indicate the available date ranges for paper and microfilm holdings. 

...or Just Browse the Microfilm

Our newspaper microfilm collection is relatively small, so you may find it quicker and easier just to go to the microfilmed newspapers drawers in the Current Periodicals and Media room and browse.  The titles and date ranges covered are clearly labelled on the drawers and it is easier to verify what we actually have rather than trying to click through catalog records.  Catalog records for newspapers can sometimes be confusing due to multiple records having similar titles.

Selected Microfilm Holdings (as of June 21, 2016, based on browsing the drawers)

Here are our microfilm holdings for the large well-known titles:

 The New York Times:  Jan. 1, 1926-2015

The Washington Post: Jan. 1, 1969 - Dec. 31, 2010

The Wall Street Journal: July 8, 1889 – Dec. 2010

Here are holdings for the DDN and The Journal Herald:

The Dayton Daily News:  Sept. 1898 – 2015

Dayton Journal Herald: Jan. 1948 – Sept. 13, 1986 (merged with DDN)

Microfilm Readers

The microfilm readers are on two computers near the stairwell in the Information Commons area on the second floor. If you need help loading the film or using the readers, please ask for help at the Information Desk. With these readers, you have the option to save a digital scan or to print.

Ohio Historical Newspapers

Dunbar Library houses a microfilmed collection of Ohio Historical Newspapers that focuses on our particular geographic area. Again, if you are looking for a particular date and/or title, you may find it easier to browse the microfilm drawers in the Current Periodicals & Media Room on the second floor. However,  Special Collections & Archives also maintains lists of these titles: