Subscription Review: ProQuest Historical Newspapers

  • Subscription end: 31 December 2021
  • Point of contact: Roger Reka, librarian, Acquisitions and Bibliographic Services, Leddy Library (roger.reka@uwindsor.ca)
  • Status: Complete

Details

The Leddy Library is evaluating some of its subscriptions to titles on the ProQuest Historical Newspapers platform. Ten of the 12 titles are in bundles of major and regional US newspapers. Our subscription for these 10 bundled titles ends on 31 December 2021, and we are evaluating their usage prior to the end of the agreement. Your feedback in this effort is valuable and important.  
 
These 10 newspapers have received consistently low usage over the years and are expensive to maintain. Most use on the ProQuest platform comes from the two titles outside of the bundles, The Detroit Free Press and The Globe & Mail, as demonstrated below from usage data in 2019. 
 
At the current usage rate, the cost-per-use for the 10 US major and regional newspapers averages over $20 USD.

A pie chart showing the usage of titles on the ProQuest Historical Newspapers platform. Detroit Free Press = 57%; Globe and Mail = 35%; Major US newspapers bundle = 5.6%; Regional US newspapers bundle = 2.9%

We would like to learn more from you on how you use the 10 titles in these 2 bundles, and if losing access would be problematic to your research and teaching activities. Be assured that access to the historical G&M and the Free Press will be maintained.  Any savings that may be realized from this could be used to purchase the full digital backfiles of The Windsor Star.

No decision has been made yet on this subscription, and we value feedback from faculty and graduate students. Updates will be posted here.

Please forward any comments or questions to Roger Reka (roger.reka@uwindsor.ca), librarian, Acquisitions and Bibliographic Services, Leddy Library.

US Major Newspapers Bundle

  • The New York Times
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • The Washington Post

US Regional Newspapers Bundle

  • Chicago Defender
  • Chicago Tribune
  • Hartford Courant
  • Los Angeles Times
  • The Atlanta Constitution
  • The Boston Globe
  • The Christian Science Monitor

 

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