"WHAT INFORMATION ABOUT GEORGIA NEWSPAPERS CAN I FIND?"
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You can obtain the following information using this database:
The newspapers published within a year, town, or county.
The year or years that a particular newspaper exists on microfilm.
The title of a newspaper.
The Call Number of the newspaper as assigned by UGA Libraries.
"CAN I FIND INFORMATION ABOUT A SPECIFIC DATE?"
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No, you can only find information about a year in this database. To be specific, if you see that a year
is listed for a particular paper, all it means is that some date from that year has been filmed, not
necessarily every date ever published by that newspaper.
"CAN I SEE THE NEWSPAPERS USING THIS WEBSITE?"
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This website only provides information about the newspapers. It is
intended to act as a guide only.
"HOW CAN I SEE THE NEWSPAPERS THAT I AM INTERESETED IN?"
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First, if you are in Georgia, check with your local library. Many local and public
libraries within Georgia carry copies of some Georgia papers on microfilm. Perhaps the paper
you need is there. If not, consult with your librarian; it may be possible for your
local library to borrow the film from another library.
Another way is to visit the University of Georgia Main Library in Athens, Georgia. They possess
the most extensive collection of Georgia newspapers to be found anywhere; in fact, many of
these newspapers where originally filmed there. For further information, including
directions CLICK HERE.
"What is Microfilm?"
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Microfilm is simply film that has been developed but has not been printed onto paper. Most microfilm
is 35mm or 16mm wide and is wound around a spool or reel. Each exposure, or frame, may contain an
entire page from a newspaper or other publication. To use the film, it must be mounted on a special
machine that can project an image from the film onto a screen something like a slide projection. Some
machines have a built-in copier so that you can photocopy the image onto a piece of paper.
"How often is this data updated?"
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The last complete update of this data was completed in late Fall of 1999. Another review
and survey of the data is currently underway, and is not expected to be complete until the Summer
of 2004.
"Can I search by a date and a county at one time?"
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Currently you can only search by one searchterm at a time. So-called "Boolean"
searches are not possible. If you attempt such a search, you will not get any
hits. Perhaps a more sophisticated search program will be introduced at a later date.
"Are there Georgia newspapers that aren't listed here?"
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Yes, there are many Georgia newspapers that did not survive long enough to be filmed.
Georgia has seen its share of rough times in its long history, including epidemics, war,
earthquakes, flood, and fire. Also, many small school-related newspapers are not listed
here (such as the Red & Black, from the University of Georgia). These will be added as
our resources permit. Finally, if any newspaper was filmed since our last data survey, it
will not appear in this data.
"I do not see the paper or year that I'm interested in here. What now?"
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If you are sure that it exists, but it does not appear when you search, you should
contact the University of Georgia Libraries for a more definitive answer. Perhaps it
was filmed after our last data survey (see FAQ above), or perhaps we list the
paper you are interested in under a different title.
"Can I report a mistake in this listing?"
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Yes, please reports errors that you find to ganews@oncenews.com and
we will investigate and correct it as soon as we can. We appreciate all of help we can get!
"I NEED TO FIND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ABOUT A SPECIFIC EVENT OR PERSON IN GEORGIA. WHAT SHOULD I DO?"
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Very few older Georgia newspapers are indexed in any way. The ones that
are indexed are mostly recent ones from the larger cities in Georgia. Unless the event took place
or the person lived in one of these places (such as Atlanta), you'll probably have to actually look
through pages of newspapers scanning for articles, obituaries, etc., that are of interest. This is
basic research and is about the only way to find out what you want to know.
Another idea is to consult with your local librarian. There may be alternative sources for the information
you need. Don't forget about guides and lists published by genealogists and historical societies.
"HOW DO I FIND SOMETHING IN A NEWSPAPER THAT IS MORE RECENT THAN THE ONE LISTED."
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It may take a long time for a newspaper to be converted into microfilm. If you need
something more recent, you might try contacting either the nearest public library to where
the paper is published or the newspaper itself.
For addresses of current newspaper,
try http://www.n-net.com/ga.htm.
"I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS."
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If you still have questions pertaining to Georgia Newspapers or the OnceNews Web Site,
you can submit your questions directly to us by clicking below. Just fill out the form and
we'll try to answer your question if we can.
"DISPLAY PROBLEMS."
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We've had very few complaints and very many
compliments on the layout of our site. Most of the display problems we've been asked about have something to do with how the search results
display. Most people who have a problem report that the resulting screen is too big for their
monitor. Others report it is too small to read. Most of these problems are with the browser being
used or the settings of the browser.
Web users should understand that there are over
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