Q. How can I access past issues of the New York Times? Where is the New York Times Historical database? Can I view old New York Times front pages by date?

The Library provides two ways to access articles from the New York Times: the nytimes.com website which provides access back to the first issue in 1851, and the Academic OneFile database which includes issues going back to 1985.

Method 1: New York Times website

If you do not already have a login for the New York Times:

1. First, set up your own login to the New York Times website by following the directions here. It is free to all Kirkwood students and employees.
2. Then follow the link below to the New York TimesMachine, which includes articles from issue 1 in 1851 up through December 2002.

If you already have a login for the New York Times:

1. You may access the historical archives by using the New York TimesMachine, which includes articles from issue 1 in 1851 up through December 2002. See link below.

To search New York TimesMachine (1851-2002):

1. Click on the magnifying glass symbol in the upper right corner of the New York TimesMachine homepage.
2. Or, to browse to a specific date, use the "Select an Issue" text box to enter the date.
3. Results appear on a scanned image of the original newspaper, and may also be viewed as plain text for printing or reading. 

To find articles between January 2003 and March 2006:

Unfortunately the browse function does not currently work for this span of years. Instead you can search for a topic, then filter the results by date.

1. Start from the New York Times homepage, and make sure you're logged in. Click on the search icon, a small magnifying glass, in the upper left corner. To find the greatest number of articles, enter a broad search such as: politics, sports, news, arts, or business.
2. On the search results page, there is a date filter. Click "Date Range", then "Specific Dates". Enter the date you want to view as both the beginning and ending dates. Search.

To browse New York Times by date (April 2006-present):

1. Start from the New York Times homepage, and make sure you're logged in. Click on the linked text in the upper left corner, "Today's paper".
2. Use the calendar image to select the date you want to see. Unfortunately at this writing you can't select the year, you have to click the arrows back month by month, then click on the specific day you want.
3. From the "today's paper" page you can then select a section to view, such as "Front page", or you can view a scanned image of the front page from the original print version.

Method 2: Academic OneFile database

Note: accessing articles in this way usually does not include photographs or other images from the original article, and does not show the layout of the original front page.

1. Start from Academic OneFile, one of our standard databases listed on our A-Z Databases list on the library website. It can also be accessed directly by bookmarking this Academic OneFile link.
2. From there scroll down to "Publication Search" and enter "New York Times". Follow the link to "New York Times".
3. To search by topic or keyword, type search in the "Search within publication" text box.
4. To browse by date, use the dropdown to select the year, then scroll to the exact date you want. This will display search results for every article in the New York Times on that day.