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beginning of scanned pamphlet.
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G U I D E T O N E W S P A P E R S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EW
Telephone 031-226-4531
Telex 72638 NLSEDIG
Fax 031-226-5620
Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a library of legal deposit, the National Library of Scotland,
successor since 1925 to the historic Advocates' Library, is entitled
under the terms of the Copyright Act, 1911, to claim a copy of all
printed works published in the United Kingdom and, by reciprocal
legislation, in the Republic of Ireland. Under the terms of the Act, the
Library at present receives all current Scottish newspapers, along with
major British national newspapers. The range of U.K. newspapers is
supplemented by a selection of current foreign newspapers to which the
Library subscribes.
The National Library has probably the most extensive collection of
Scottish newspapers up to 1800, the majority of them acquired
contemporaneously by the Advocates' Library. For historical reasons the
Library's holdings of 19th- and early 20th-century Scottish newspapers
are much less complete, since constraints of space did not permit the
Advocates' Library to acquire extensively the products of the expansion
of the 19th-century newspaper presses. Thus the most extensive
collection of l9th-century Scottish newspapers is to be found in the
British Library Newspaper Library at Colindale. It was not until the
early 1950s that the prospect of increased accommodation in the present
building, opened in 1956, allowed the National Library to adopt a more
comprehensive acquisitions policy towards newspapers, and since 1973,
following local government organization, the Library claims all Scottish
newspapers.
Current Newspapers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the purposes of acquisition, a newspaper is defined as: 'A serial,
almost always in a large format, appearing daily or less often but at
least once a week, mainly devoted to reporting news of current
political, social, business, sporting, etc, events, at an international,
national, or local level, or at several levels'. At present the National
Library receives, through legal deposit, a total of 160 current Scottish
newspapers (if variant editions are included, the figure is 164),
comprising daily and evening newspapers, and all regional newspapers
(mainly weekly). The major British national newspapers are also taken.
A selection of current foreign newspapers is acquired by purchase. In
some cases microfilm may be preferred to foreign printed issues where
microforms are available. A category of increasing significance is the
free newspaper. Originally, free newspapers were largely devoted to
advertising, but now they often contain information of wider interest to
researchers. The Library attempts to acquire all new Scottish titles in
this category when they come to notice, and is always glad to be
informed of any new titles.
Older Scottish Newspapers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Library considers it to be a matter of prime importance to acquire
runs, or single issues, where appropriate, of older Scottish newspapers
that are available for purchase, or may be offered to the Library as
gifts. Original copies of Scottish newspapers are sought whenever they
can be acquired, but the Library also supplements the collections, where
appropriate, by purchasing microfilms of Scottish newspapers held in
other collections. An important source of microfilmed Scottish
newspapers is the British Library's Newspaper Library at Colindale,
London.
Preservation of Newspapers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newspapers present formidable problems of management and conservation.
All newsprint manufactured from mechanical wood-pulp from about 1840
onwards is subject to deterioration when exposed to light, making
newspapers become embrittled and fragile. All newspapers, therefore,
require to be handled with extreme care. An effective balance has to be
created between the need to make newspapers available to readers for
consultation, and the need to conserve the originals so that they will
be available for succeeding generations to consult. Since 1982 the
National Library has virtually ceased to bind newspapers, and instead
newspapers are boxed in acid-free boxes. Boxed newspapers require to be
treated carefully, and readers will find instructions inside the box on
how the newspapers should be handled.
Newspapers on Microfilm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Certain newspaper titles in the National Library are subJect to very
heavy use. 'To offer the originals a measure of' protection, the Library
has established a continuing programme of acquiring both retrospective
and current files of heavily-used newspapers in microfilm. Titles
already substituted in microfilm are the Scotsman, 1817- ; the Glasgow
Herald, 1803-; The Times, 1785-; and the Financial Times, 1888- .
How to find a newspaper in the National Library
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Current newspapers are listed in the final section of the Library's
microfiche Current Periodicals in the National Library of Scotland,
latest edition, December, 1989, copies of which are available for
consultation in the Issue Hall. The list is updated by (unpublished) bi-
monthly supplements, which include:
1. New newspaper titles received in the Library.
2. Newspapers which have changed title.
3. Newspaper titles which have ceased publication.
For the convenience of readers, copies of Current Periodicals in the
National Library of Scotland are available in printed format in the
Catalogue Hall. Because of the mergers and changes of title to which
newspapers are especially subject, readers may experience difficulties
in tracing titles of newspapers in the Current Periodicals list. In such
cases readers should consult the Library's Central Catalogue of Printed
Books.
Catalogue 1 on Microfiche
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Catalogue 1 on Microfiche (which contains items published before 1968
and received before 1974), entries for newspapers appear under the
general heading P.P. (Periodical Publications) arranged by place of
publication, e.g. Edinburgh Courant is entered under P.P.-Edinburgh.
(The arrangement within each heading is alphabetical.) If in doubt
readers should consult the Catalogue under the first word of the title,
where a cross-reference will be found to the main entry heading.
Catalogue 2 (Cards) and Online Catalogue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Catalogue 2 (Cards) and the Online Catalogue (which contain,
respectively, items published after 1967 up to 1978, and older books
received after 1973; and all items received since 1978), entries for
newspapers appear under the title of the newspaper, with appropriate
cross-references from any change of title.
Readers should note that non-current newspaper titles should always be
checked in all three sequences of the General Catalogue of Printed
Books.
Reference sources
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Readers who experience difficulty in tracing newspapers in the Library's
General Catalogue of Printed Books are also directed to the following
reference sources, which are available for consultation in the Catalogue
Hall.
1. British Library Catalogue of the Newspaper Library, Colindale.
1975. 8v.
2. Willing's Press Guide. (Annual).
3. Rosemary Webber. World List of National Newspapers: a Union List of
National Newspapers in Libraries in the British Isles. 1976.
4. Joan P. S. Ferguson. Directory of Scottish Newspapers. 1984.
5. R. M. W. Cowan. The Newspaper in Scotland. Glasgow, 1946.
Recommendations for newspapers may be made on the Suggestions Forms
available in the Issue Hall.
Reference Services staff will be glad to deal with queries in relation
to newspapers. In addition, the specialist staff in the Periodicals Unit
and, in the case of foreign newspapers, the specialist curatorial staff
are available to assist readers if they experience difficulty in finding
the material they seek, or would like more detailed guidance.
Printed in Scotland for H.M.S.O Dd.8927410 C50 1/90 37907
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end of scanned pamphlet.