LibGuides: Newspapers: Newspaper Research

Early Newspapers and Indices

Newspaper indices are listings of newspaper articles related to a name or topic, helping researchers find articles about a person, subject, or event without having to read through an entire paper. Indices are arranged alphabetically and provide a citation to the date of the article. Indices are available for many of Chicago’s early newspapers. A selection of index titles are linked below.

These publications are available on the open shelves in the Abakanowicz Research Center.

Chicago American: May 1935-October 1842 (F38AN W4 REFERENCE)

Chicago Daily Democrat Press Index: 1855 (qF38SP D39 C4 REFERENCE)

Chicago Daily Journal: 1844-1845 and 1847-1852 (F38AN W4 REFERENCE)

Chicago Democrat: 1840-1855 and 1857-1861 (F38AN W4 REFERENCE)

Chicago Record Herald Index: 1904-1912 (qF38SP .C483 REFERENCE)

Chicago Sun-Times Index: 1979-1982 (qF38SP C485 REFERENCE)

Chicago Tribune Index: 1972-2004 (qF38SP T7316 REFERENCE)

Vital records from Chicago newspapers: 1833-1848 (qF548.25 C55 1971 REFERENCE)

Directories of Newspaper Publications

Directories can help identify and locate newspapers by city, state, publisher, or topic. Directories provide information on frequency of publication and distribution.

Below are listed some of the newspaper directories found within CHM's research collection. CHM holds multiple years for many of the directories. Check the catalog record for holdings or issue numbers. Use a blue call slip to request.

Illinois newspaper directory / under the auspices of the Illinois Press Association at its ... annual convention. (F37SP .I2I2 REFERENCE )

N.W. Ayer & Son's American newspaper annual and directory. (Z6951 .A9)

Rowell's American newspaper directory, containing a description of all the newspapers and periodicals pub. in the United States and the territories, Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland, and of the towns and cities in which they are pub., together with a statement or estimate of the average number of copies printed by each publication catalogued. (Z6951 .R88d)

The American newspaper directory and record of the press : Containing an accurate list of all the newspapers, magazines, reviews, periodicals, etc. in the United States & British provinces of North America. Also, a concise general view of the origin, rise and progress of newspapers / Compiled by Daniel J. Kenny. (Z6951 .K36 1861)

United States newspaper directory. (Z6951 .C77)

Search ARCHIE for additional directories.

Composite and Topical Collections

Composite and topical collections allow searching and browsing by subject area, time period, or individual, rather than searching by newspaper title. CHM's composite collections are listed below. The collections are not exhaustive of all research material about a topic, simply a selection of newspaper publications.

You can search composite collections in ARCHIE by following these steps:

Change the search parameter from ‘Everything’ to ‘Newspapers’
Change the scope from ‘All Fields’ to ‘Call Number’
Enter one of the composite collection headings listed below
Select a newspaper title from the results and check the Holdings to see available dates and years

Where possible, collections with inventories are linked.

Request a newspaper composite collection by using a blue call slip. The name of the collection is the call number.

Newspapers by Topic

Chicago Area Labor Newspapers and Newsletters [microfilm format]
Chicago Centennial, Anniversary & Special Events
Chicago Headline Papers 1861-1948
Chicago Socialist Newspapers [microfilm format]
Historical Headlines Collection
- Vol. 1: 1861-1913
- Vol. 2: 1914-1937
- Vol. 3: 1938-1953
- Vol 4: 1947-1968
Illinois Centennial Newspapers
- Vol. 1-4
Illinois Town Centennial Newspapers
Important Events 1896-1930
Important Events 1933-1939
Kellogg Vol. 1, Kellogg Vol. 2, or Kellogg Vol. 3
Latter Day Saint Newspapers [microfilm format]
Reconstruction Newspapers
- Vol. 1 (168 issues)
- Vol. 2 (243 issues)

Newspapers by Event

Chicago Cubs World Series Championship, 2016
Civil War Soldier Newspapers
COVID-19 Pandemic
Moonwalk Headline Papers 1969
Spanish American War Newspapers
Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001
World War I Newspapers
World War II Newspapers
World's Columbian Exposition Newspapers

Newspapers by President

Garfield Presidential Newspapers
Kennedy Newspapers
Lincoln Newspapers
McKinley Newspapers
Obama Presidential Campaign, 2008-2009, 2012
Washington Newspapers

Additional Newspaper Inventories

Chicago Pre-Fire and Fire Newspapers
This is an inventory of a collection of newspapers dated before the Great Chicago Fire, October 8-10, 1871, and issues that cover the events and aftermath of the fire. The issues are organized in approximate chronological order and are wrapped or bound by title and date range. Most newspaper on this list are published in Chicago and are cataloged individually. At the end of the inventory is a list of newspapers published in other states or countries, those issues might not have catalog records.

Newspapers from this collection can be requested using a blue call slip. Include the title of the newspaper, the date, and the volume number. The collection name is 'Pre-Fire'.
Non-Illinois Newspapers Guide
The Chicago History Museum’s newspaper collection includes many newspapers from other cities in Illinois and other states across the country. This inventory allows researchers to browse newspapers holdings by state. Most newspapers are cataloged individually, but not all. Search the catalog for information on holdings. Consult microfilm instead of fragile originals for the dates when microfilm is available.

Use a blue call slip to request material, indicating the title of the paper, date, format, and call number. If no catalog record exists, newspapers can also be requested by listing the state and city of publication.

Clippings Files

Inventory of Newspaper Clippings
An on-site resource, the Abakanowicz Research Center has a collection of clipping files. Clippings files were compiled by former museum staff in the course of research and reference work, and bring together articles on a topic from disparate sources. The articles generally span across the 20th century, with the bulk covering the 1940s through the 1980s, and into the 1990s and early 2000s.

These files are no longer actively added to as newspaper databases and other online sources have largely replaced the need for topical files. They maintain their value as a quick way to browse articles from multiple newspaper resources on a wide variety of popular topics in Chicago history.

The collection is divided into topical subject heading entries and by individuals, both organized alphabetically.

Ask at the reference desk for assistance with these files.