Digital Library Services

Posted on behalf of Kinda K.

Whether you’re a writer, student, history-enthusiast, or researching your local family history, Toronto Public Library’s digital newspaper archives are here to help. You may already know about our digital newspaper resources like PressReader, NYTimes.com or the Wall Street Journal, but you may not have heard about our historical news archives.

Your library card provides access to both the Toronto Star Historical Newspaper Archive and the Globe and Mail Newspaper Archive. Both archives have articles and full-page reproductions going back to the 1800s.

Common projects using the archives are exploring genealogy, gathering research for school or work-related projects, or even finding photos of loved ones in past editions of papers! Stories, editorials, marriage, birth and death notices are scanned and posted as originally published, making these archives ideal for anyone looking to research family history in and around Toronto.

To access our digital resources you will need an active library card. If you don't have one, here's how you can get a library card by visiting one of our open branches or try signing up online for a Digital Access Card.

Toronto Star Historical Newspaper Archive

The Toronto Star archive dates back to 1894, and despite being labeled as historical, users are able to access papers up to approximately three years back from the present. A tutorial video is available to provide users with a rundown of its features, including Basic & Advanced Search and options for Printing, Saving, and Sharing.

Searching in the Toronto Star archive will yield full-page scans from any relevant issues with highlights indicating the search terms. One tip for streamlining your research process is to use quotation marks around any words that should appear together. For example, searching “Hurricane Hazel” will lead to more accurate results.

Globe and Mail Historical Newspaper Archive

The Globe and Mail archive dates from 1844 to approximately three years back. Like the Toronto Star, a tutorial video is available for users of the archive that goes over its basic features.

The Globe and Mail is different because it is scanned by individual articles instead of full pages. Because of this, results pop up by article as opposed to by page. It is still possible to get a full-page view by pressing on the Full Page option at the top of the document viewer.

Additionally, the same Printing, Saving, and Sharing options are available for the Globe and Mail. Once again, use quotation marks for search terms that go together.

Let us know what you are up to with our Historical Archives!

If you have used any of the resources discussed in this post, let us know below. And, as always, please speak to library staff if you need help. When it comes to archives, the Toronto Star Newspaper Room (located in the basement of the Toronto Reference Library) is an especially helpful space with knowledgeable staff in all areas newspaper-related.