American Periodicals from CRL

American Periodicals from the Center for Research Libraries (APCRL) is a digital collection of 375 popular and trade journals from Center for Research Library collections digitized in collaboration with ProQuest. CRL undertook the American Periodicals digitization project to provide electronic access to materials that have seen increasing use in recent years, and to protect the fragile originals from harm or loss through handling and use.  The resulting database completed in 2012, “American Periodicals from the Center for Research Libraries” (APCRL), provides full text and full-color scans of just over three million pages of CRL journal content.

Collection Contents

The collection is made up of general interest magazines and trade journals from the period 1850-1920. Technology, industry, agriculture, medicine, and architecture are strongly represented. Titles were chosen in part because of their frequent use by researchers at CRL libraries. The University of Pennsylvania helped to fill holdings gaps and contributed several additional titles not held by CRL.

From the selection list notable titles include:

  • American Annual of Photography
  • American Artisan and Hardware Record
  • The American Builder
  • American Gas-light Journal
  • Concrete
  • The Craftsman
  • Electrical Age
  • Hamptons Magazine
  • The Labor Journal
  • Woman’s Protest against Woman Suffrage

Access to APCRL

For libraries licensing the APCRL:  Access is directly through the ProQuest interface

Information on licensing APCRL: CRL libraries are entitled to a discount on purchase of this collection, which augments ProQuest's broader nineteenth-and early twentieth-century holdings. See offer information in eDesiderata

For CRL libraries that have not licensed the database: All the journals CRL contributed are available to CRL libraries in their digitalized form. The database can be made available through the ProQuest platform for a two week period. For further information on access please contact CRL's Access Services Department. You may also request access via an interlibrary loan request to CRL.