Read All About It!

I was grateful for the ‘Best Websites’ article on newspapers (May). Although I knew most of those mentioned, there were a couple I’d not come across before that I am now beginning to use. However, there are some valuable resources I’ve come across that were not included in the article: • UKPressOnline ( ukpressonline. co.uk). This includes historical issues of the Daily and Sunday Express, Daily Star, Church Times (very useful if you have clergy in the family), Daily Worker, South Eastern Gazette and Kentish Times (great if your family comes from that part of the world). Some access is free (for example the South Eastern Gazette), some libraries provide access or you can take out a 30-day subscription for £16 for a concentrated effort. • ProQuest ( proquest.com) can provide access to historical copies of the Manchester Guardian, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Times of India and many more. Access is through an institution that is registered with the website. I have mine as a university alumnus benefit, so it is worth checking to see if you might have it too. • Gale did get a mention, but nothing was said about The Times Digital Archive which is a wonderful resource ( gale.com/ intl/c/the-times-digital-archive). Many libraries provide access (from home) and even if yours doesn’t, you can join one somewhere else that does. (I live in Staffordshire but access it via the Lancashire Library Service.) Alan Weeks, by email

EDITOR REPLIES: Thanks for this Alan, especially your tip about joining a library elsewhere if yours doesn’t offer remote access to The Times Digital Archive. I notice on the UKPressOnline website that personal access comes to an end on 1 June 2021. After that it will only be accessible from a subscribing institution.