Monday 4 November 2013

British Newspaper Archive passes 7million milestone

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?s=460839&v=5895&q=222375&r=123532The British Newspaper Archive (BNA) has passed a giant milestone this weekend, with page number 7million added to the site.

Since its launch in November 2011, the BNA has been committed to transcribing thousands of pages a day. With a target of 40million pages by 2021, this 10-year project is the biggest digitisation of newspapers to take place in the UK. It's run by DC Thompson Family History, formerly known as Brightsolid, the people behind FindMyPast.

Announcing the milestone successs, Ian Tester, The British Newspaper Archive’s Brand Director, said: “Newspapers are one of the richest resources available to historians, and historical newspapers packed a lot more into a page than modern papers. The Archive holds newspapers that date back to the early 18th Century, and with the 7million mark passed, we now provide access to comfortably over 100million stories and articles online – a unique perspective on more than 200 years of historical events.”

The website is free to search, with a range of credit and subscription packages available. Its holding of Irish newspapers isn't too extensive just yet, but it holds Freeman’s Journal, Belfast Newsletter, Dublin Evening Mail, Sligo Champion, Belfast Morning News and the Cork Examiner. This same collection of historical Irish papers is also available as part of an Ireland or World subscription with FindMyPast.