Getting Started with the Globe and Mail Historical Newspaper Archive

Globe and Mail logo

The Globe and Mail Historical Newspaper Archive is the reproduction of the complete newspaper in PDF format from May 8, 1844 to approximately 3 years ago including classifieds, ads and birth, death and marriage notices as well as news stories and editorials, etc.

How to access Globe and Mail Historical Newspaper Archive

  1. Go to www.tpl.ca and enter “globe and mail” in the search box
  2. Click on Access Online and Globe and Mail Historical Newspaper Archive 
  3. Enter your library card number and PIN

Globe and mail search

Note: there is a video tutorial you can watch before using this resource

Video tutorial and access online

Basic Search

Type in a word or phrase.  A search with all terms will be conducted.  Use quotation marks to search for exact phrases. Separate terms with OR to find any of the words entered.

Search Results

The most recent article appears first.  Use the “Sort” option on the left to alter the sort order.  

Sorted by Relevance, Oldest first, and Most recent first
Narrow results by date by clicking on a decade bar or using the sliders to select a range of decades and clicking on “Update.”

Publication date filter

Narrow results by type of information—e.g.  article, classified ad—under “Document type.”

Document type filter

Viewing Results

Click on the title or on “Full text – PDF” to view the result in isolation from the page it’s on. At the next screen, click on “Page view – PDF” to view it on the full page. Click on “Open with your PDF reader” to make this page occupy the entire screen. 

Use "minus" or "plus"  (on a floating Adobe toolbar in IE or Chrome and a fixed one in Firefox) to change the size of the image.

ZOOM

Printing and Saving Results

To print a result, click on the printer icon on the Adobe toolbar. To save one (as a PDF), click on the save icon in IE or Chrome (the picture of a diskette) or, in Firefox, the download icon.

Printing Part of a Page 

  • save the result and then open the saved PDF 
  • click on “Edit,” then on “Take a Snapshot” 
  • outline what you want to print with the cursor (now a cross-hair) 
  • click on the printer icon to print it 
  • use the print dialogue window to adjust the relationship between what you want to print and the sheet of paper

TIP: Finding Obituaries

Click on “Advanced Search,” type the person’s name, last name, then first name in quotation marks, e.g. “Smith, John”, scroll down and select “Obituary” from the “Document type” menu.  

Browsing Specific Issues 

  • click on “Publications” (above the search window), then on either “The Globe (1844-1936)” or “The Globe and Mail (1936-2016)”
  • scroll down to “Browse specific issues” and select a date 
  • click on the top result, then on “Page view – PDF” 
  • use the left and right arrow buttons to page through the paper

Page navigation

 

 



 


For more information or for help, please contact our Answerline service.