Researching Kentucky, 1900-present: Primary Source Databases

Kentucky's National Digital Newspaper Program (KY-NDNP) website offers comprehensive lists of the University of Kentucky's digitized historic newspapers available in both the Kentucky Digital Library and the Library of Congress' Chronicling America. The website also provides an extensive "how-to" on historic newspaper digitization per the NDNP specifications.

Digital archives (with PDFs) dating back to 1888 (for the Lexington Leader) and 1896 (for the Morning Herald) to present day as the Lexington Herald-Leader. Text archives back to 1983.

Consists of more than 2 million unique photographic negatives. The collection also contains associated newspaper clippings, job sheets, and hand-written photographers' notes. The LHL photographs are a source of photographic evidence of the many historical, cultural, and industrial changes that have shaped Lexington and the surrounding region.

Digital coverage runs from Jan. 2, 1999 - present

Genealogy collection from ancestry.com that includes census data, vital records, directories, and photos.

Access to scanned newspaper pages from 1690-present and information about other American newspapers published between 1690-present. Sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

Newspaper Source provides selected full-text for nearly 35 national (U.S.) and international newspapers, including USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post, The Times (London), and The Toronto Star. Also contains selected full-text for more than 375 regional (U.S.) newspapers, including The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Detroit Free Press, The Miami Herald, The New York Daily News, and The San Jose Mercury News. In addition, full-text television & radio news transcripts are provided from CBS News, FOX News, NPR, and other sources.

Searchable full-text from ProQuest, with keyword searching and date limiting. This title is part of Proquest Historical Newspapers.

This database provides access to the University of Kentucky's holdings of microfilm masters, including newspapers as well as other primary sources. Not all Kentucky newspapers available for viewing are included in this database (e.g., The Lexington Herald-Leader and The Courier-Journal). To find other available Kentucky newspapers, search the InfoKat Discovery Library Catalog or consult the librarians at the Reference Desk.

Coverage includes local history, geology, geography, weather, transportation, all local participants in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, government, the medical and legal professions, churches and ministers, industry and manufacturing, banking and insurance, schools and teachers, noted celebrations, fire departments and associations, cemeteries, family histories, health and vital statistics, roads and bridges, and public officials and legislators in Kentucky counties.