UK: Times of London adding digital archives

Posted by Liam Berkowitz on June 16, 2008 at 9:07 AM

The Times of London has digitized an extensive portion of its archives, offering over 20 million articles dating from 1785 to 1985. The articles - viewable for free on the Times Online - include the paper's coverage of famous historical events, such as the Battle of Waterloo, the 1929 stock market crash, and Amelia Earheart's solo Atlantic flight.

The archives will offer several special features, including an interactive timeline, a comprehensive search tool, and over 150 topic pages. According to Anne Spackman, editor-in-chief of the Times Online, the Times wants its online archive to enhance its reputation as "arguably the most famous newspaper in the world."

"There are cheaper ways, but the company really backed it and wanted it to be very good," Spackman said. "We are a paper with a real history, and that is very important to us. We wanted that whole history to be in there."

Source: The Guardian