Research Center Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room

Newspapers

The Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room has one of the largest, most comprehensive newspaper collections in the world, and it includes major titles published in all U.S. states and territories as well as titles from most independent countries and many dependent states around the world spanning the past five centuries.

Newspapers are generally held in three formats: microfilm, print, and digital. A title might be available in one or multiple formats, and this may vary by date range. Most historic newspapers are held on microfilm, though there is an ever-growing amount of born-digital and digitized newspapers, most of which are held in subscription databases and fewer of which are found freely available online. Reference staff can help determine which formats are available and ideal based on the nature of your research.

Featured Research Guides

U.S. Newspaper Collections at the Library of Congress

African American Newspapers

Original or Reprint? A Guide to Noteworthy Newspaper Issues

Chronicling America - A Guide for Researchers

Foreign Newspaper Collections at the Library of Congress

Access: Request microfilm and print newspapers at the circulation desk by filling out a call slip with the newspaper title, date(s), and call number. Reference staff can assist with identifying call numbers. Delivery time is generally within 30 minutes. Selected titles are immediately available to browse. Digital newspaper collections and databases are available at public computer terminals in the reading room or by accessing the Library's Wifi through your own device.

Newspaper Lists

For more information about requesting materials from these lists, please see Using the Reading Room.

U.S. Newspapers

Current U.S. Newspapers Received – This resource lists current U.S. newspapers received at the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room.
Chronological Index to Microfilm (1940-1989) – This resource lists U.S. newspapers from 1940-1989 on microfilm and available for use at the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room.
19th to 20th Century U.S. Newspaper (Bound Print Volumes) – This resource lists U.S. newspapers held in original print bound volume format. They are held in off-site storage.
18th Century U.S. Newspapers Checklist – This resource lists Eighteenth-Century American Newspapers at the Library of Congress. It contains microfilm holdings representing approximately 400 titles, plus nearly 360 titles included in the American Antiquarian Society's microprint series.

Foreign Newspapers

Current Foreign Newspapers Received – This resource lists current foreign newspapers received at the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room.
19th to 20th Century Foreign Newspaper (Bound Print Volumes) – This resource lists foreign newspapers held in original print bound volume format (microfilm holdings are not included in this list). They are held in off-site storage.
17th to 18th Century Foreign Newspapers – The resource lists holdings of foreign newspaper collections in original print, as well as some photostats and facsimiles, from the 17th and 18th centuries.

U.S. Ethnic Press Newspapers

African American Newspapers – The Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room at the Library of Congress holds African American newspapers in various formats, as well as on-site digital access to some of the newspapers through subscription databases. This resource lists the Library's holdings and availability of digital access (if any) for each newspaper title listed by state and city. Also listed are African American newspapers that are freely available to search online.
Asian American & Pacific Islander Resources: Serial & Government Publications Division – This guide highlights a selection of Asian American & Pacific Islander materials in the Serial & Government Publications Division.
Chicano Serials Microfilm Collection – A guide to the newspapers and periodicals included in the Chicano Serials Microfilm Collection at the Library of Congress.

Research Guides

For more detailed information about the reading room's newspaper collections, please see the following research guides:

Research Guide
African American Newspapers A guide to African American newspapers held at the Library of Congress and available online.
- Date: 2019-08-01
Research Guide
American Women: Resources from the Serial & Government Publications Collections Part of the American Women series, this guide highlights the Library's collections of current and retrospective newspapers, current periodicals, government publications, and several special holdings of a serial nature, such as comic books.
- Date: 2018-08-08
Research Guide
Asian American & Pacific Islander Resources: Serial & Government Publications Division This guide highlights a selection of Asian American & Pacific Islander materials in the Serial & Government Publications Division.
- Date: 2022-06-23
Research Guide
Chicano Serials Microfilm Collection A guide to the newspapers and periodicals included in the Chicano Serials Microfilm Collection at the Library of Congress.
- Date: 2024-10-08
Research Guide
Chronicling America: A Guide for Researchers This guide provides an overview of Chronicling America, a searchable digital collection of historic newspapers published through 1963.
- Date: 2021-04-26
Research Guide
Topics in Chronicling America Research Guides This research guide gathers together a collection of topical guides that tell various stories of America through the newspapers available in Chronicling America.
- Date: 2022-07-13
Research Guide
Current Periodical Collections at the Library of Congress This guide provides an introduction to the periodical collections available in the Library of Congress Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room.
- Date: 2021-08-02
Research Guide
Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries: A Guide for Researchers This guide provides an overview of the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index of newspapers published in the United States since 1690.
- Date: 2021-05-20
Research Guide
Federalist Essays in Historic Newspapers The 85 essays known as the Federalist Papers were originally published as letters in New York newspapers 1787-1788. This guide serves as an index to the letters in the historic newspapers and a list of holdings at the Library of Congress.
- Date: 2018-12-03
Research Guide
Foreign Newspaper Collections at the Library of Congress The foreign newspaper collections at the Library are the largest collection of overseas newspapers in the world. This guide provides an overview to these collections found in the Serial & Government Publications Division.
- Date: 2021-05-13
Research Guide
Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room: A Guide for Researchers This guide provides an overview of the newspaper, comic book, current periodical, and government document collections at the Library of Congress, as well as what to expect when you arrive at this research center, and how to request and handle materials.
- Date: 2020-05-14
Research Guide
Original or Reprint? A Guide to Noteworthy Newspaper Issues A guide to identifying original versus reprinted issues for several newspaper editions of historical significance, also referred to as an "Information Circular" in the Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room.
- Date: 2020-10-14
Research Guide
U.S. Newspaper Collections at the Library of Congress Comprising major titles from all fifty states and United States territories, the Library’s newspaper collections are the most comprehensive in the world. This guide provides a detailed overview to these collections published from 1690 to the present.
- Date: 2020-06-10

Location

Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave, SE
James Madison Building, LM 133
Washington, DC 20540-4810
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Hours

Monday through Thursday
8:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closed Sundays & Federal Holidays

Chat with a Librarian
Monday through Friday
12 p.m. - 2 p.m.

Reader Registration (Rm. LM 133)
Monday through Saturday
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.