OVERSEAS NEWSPAPERS
COLLECTING
17.1 The Library’s collection of overseas newspapers is the largest in Australia. It includes the papers from many countries of the world, such as the The Times (London), the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Le Monde, Die Zeit and Pravda. Many of these titles contain long retrospective runs in addition to current issues. Selection is based on quality, geographical coverage or subject focus, and research value. For a list of overseas newspaper titles currently acquired by the Library, see < www.nla.gov.au/collect/osnews.html >.
17.2 The newspaper collections from Asia and the Pacific Region are particularly strong with a wide range of titles from countries such as China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand. Some lengthy back-runs have been acquired. Major titles from the Pacific are held. Most are in the language of the country of origin, although English-language titles have been purchased where these are available. While many of the newspapers provide a national perspective on issues, other titles have been selected because of their provincial content which can provide a unique source of information about the area concerned, such as the Otago Daily Times, the Bali Post and the Samoa News, or for their political or thematic focus, such as the Jewish Chronicle and Business Times (Singapore).
17.3 For newspapers from North America and Europe, the Library acquires a smaller but representative collection of the newspaper press.
17.4 The overseas newspaper collection is regularly reviewed to ensure its balance, currency and conformity to the Library’s present collecting policies. These reviews also take into consideration the holdings and long-term retention policies of other Australian libraries. Highly used newspapers are received by airmail. All newspaper titles are acquired with a view to long-term retention, with microform being the Library’s preferred retention format if available.
17.5 In addition to print and microform newspaper titles acquired, the Library also provides online access to articles from over 9000 international news sources through the Factiva database <http://www.nla.gov.au/app/eresources/search?id=factiva > and to Chinese newspapers through the China Core Newspaper database www.nla.gov.au/apps/eresources/action/item?id=2741&loaditem=true .
17.6 The Library also holds large historical newspaper collections on microform, such as Early English Newspapers and Ireland: Politics and Society through the Press 1760-1922. Online access is also provided to a number of significant historical newspaper databases, such as the Times Digital Archive < http://www.nla.gov.au/app/eresources/item/1088 >, Early American Newspapers < http://www.nla.gov.au/app/eresources/item/1762 >, and 17th-18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers < http://www.nla.gov.au/app/eresources/item/3304 >
