CRL Expands News Coverage for Members [1]
In a recent message [3] to CRL library directors, Bernie Reilly reported that CRL has begun to explore with a few large aggregators providing “end-to end” coverage of news content to researchers at CRL libraries. The recent CRL offers of several key news databases from Readex are a step in that direction: they provide favorable terms for access to a range of historic and current news content.
The seven Readex databases offered [4] include three historical databases of U.S. ethnic newspapers as well as the back files of hundreds of 20th-century local and regional titles:
- 20th-Century American Newspapers, Series 1 to 3, 1923 forward
- African American Newspapers, 1827-1998
- Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980
The offer also includes two important databases of foreign news and report summaries:
- Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports, 1974-1996
- Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS) Reports, 1957-1994
Reviews of all of the databases are available from CRL’s Global Resources Forum [5]. The terms of the offers are available through login access only to CRL libraries; contact ero@crl.edu [6] for information on how to view these offers.
In the interest of ensuring all CRL libraries long-term access to the databases they invest in, CRL is currently in discussions with Readex about archiving arrangements. Possibilities include CRL holding an archive of the digital files and metadata; deposit of those files and metadata in a trusted digital repository; and archiving of the digital materials by Readex under an arrangement audited by CRL. More news about a sustainable archiving plan will be available in the near future.
CRL is also exploring the possibility of obtaining group pricing from ProQuest for ProQuest Newsstand [7] (i.e., current news) and ProQuest Historical Newspapers [8] products. CRL asks its members to respond to a survey of interest [9] for these products, which will help shape the terms of the offer to be posted later this year.