A blog about living in Aberdeen, New Jersey.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Online Local Newspaper Archives Get New Capabilities

For those of you who use the digital images of The Matawan Journal and Bayshore Independent from the archives maintained by The Matawan Aberdeen Public Library, be advised that great improvements have been made to the capabilities of the research tools and the navigation within the archives, as well as the looks of the pages themselves. Be sure to check out the Advanced Search widget, which allows you to search across both papers and to search exact strings of text and to use wild cards.

The old familiar framework still exists for some reason but does not function, so be sure to change the favorite places in your browser to the new links.

If you've not explored the old newspapers, they can be quite fun. They go all the way back to 1869, but the oldest papers can be difficult to read. But you can find the electrification of downtown Matawan, installation of trolley service, construction of Route 35 and Route 36, development of Cliffwood Beach and Strathmore, construction of the dams, it's all there. Society news has stories you would never see in today's press. And the old advertisements are amazing. Pick a year and dive in.

For more details about these and other local newspapers online, see the Research Tools link at the top of this blog.

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