The University of Illinois library is making history more accessible by digitizing its collection of farm newspapers from the late 19th through the early 20th centuries. The actual newspapers, very brittle and bound in volumes, were difficult to peruse before the digitizing began. In addition, the papers were not indexed, making information hard to find.
Now, anyone with Internet access can see the newspapers by visiting the University of Illinois library website and clicking on the Farm, Field and Fireside collection. The papers can be browsed by dates, and articles, advertisements and photo captions can be searched using keywords. Articles can also be printed, e-mailed or downloaded.
