Historic Nova Scotian Newspapers Available Online

NOTE: High-resolution, downloadable photographs and a social media version of this release is available at http://gov.ns.ca/news/smr/2010-04-23-newspaper-launch.asp .

Nova Scotians will be able to explore over 200 years of the province's history through an exciting new online resource featuring digital editions of historical newspapers launched today, April 23, at regional events.

Nova Scotia Historical Newspapers features 18 publications from around the province, digitized and available online. The newspapers include various communities, from Shelburne to Sydney, as well as Mi'kmaq, Gaelic, and African Nova Scotian publications.

The resource was developed by Libraries Nova Scotia and its partners Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management and the Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University.

"Historic newspapers provide us with a tangible link to the past," said Tourism, Culture and Heritage Minister Percy Paris. "This digitization project has made valuable historic newspapers available to anyone with access to the internet, making it an important resource for students, educators, and life-long learners."

Over 14,000 pages of community news have been scanned, from early papers such as The Nova Scotia Chronicle and Weekly Advertiser(1769-1770) to The 4th Estate(1969-1977). Each page can be viewed in high resolution, with some papers containing searchable text.

Of particular interest is the entire run of the Micmac News (1965-1991), featuring almost 30 years of important events and issues related to the Mi'kmaq people, and The Tiny Tattler, published by a teenager in 1930s Digby County.

The Nova Scotia Historical Newspapers website is the product of a year-long partnership between libraries and archives across the province. Scanning was conducted at the Nova Scotia Archives in Halifax and the Beaton Institute in Sydney. The 18 newspapers now available online represent only a small portion of the province's surviving historical newspapers.

"Nova Scotia newspapers are a deteriorating resource," said Lois Yorke, director of public services, Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management. "We hope to continue to digitize in the years to come so that these important pieces of history are not lost forever."

Launch events were held in Halifax, Sydney, Pictou, Shelburne, and Tiverton to celebrate the website.

Nova Scotia Historical Newspapers is available online at www.nsnewspapers.ca .