Australian Newspapers Digitisation Program.

[scooter]

Looks as if the roll-out of the Sydney Morning Herald has begun: http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/35

I wonder if this is a test sample of whats to come?

Cheers!

Scott

[Currie]

Thanks Scott,

It looks like the first instalment as it is showing up in the normal search. They should just keep adding to it progressively. I just hope it isn’t too slow a progress and there is a nice big chunk there by Christmas. I have a few ancestors in Sydney in the 1840s so I’ll have a good dig there tomorrow.

Thanks again and all the best,
Alan

[trish1]

Thank you from me also Scott - I keep checking yet always manage to miss when it happens. I think the publicity said 2009/10 so hopefully we shall get lots this year. My first free settler family arrived in Sydney in 1834, so I hope to find some news!

I can only find this older, undated comment
Digitisation of The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald 1831-1954 has now been digitised and is awaiting OCR processing. There are 600,000 pages containing approximately 6 million articles to be processed in 2009 - 2010, which will be made available progressively.

http://www.nla.gov.au/ndp/

[scooter]

I see the years are now up to 1849, though not yet accessible. Very imminent I should think!

[Currie]

Here’s the latest news.

http://www.nla.gov.au/ndp/index.html

The Sydney Morning Herald now available!
On 1st November 2009 the first 20 years of the Sydney Morning Herald were made publicly available. (The Sydney Herald 1831-1842 and The Sydney Morning Herald 1842-1852). Issues from 1852- 1954 will be added weekly over the next few months.

The Melbourne Argus 1846-1945 complete
The Argus (and its previous title the Melbourne Argus) from 1846 - 1945 are now completed and available. The remaining 10 years (1945-1954) of the Argus will be made available in 2010 (mid to end of year).

All the best,
Alan

[trish1]

Hi Alan

I hadn't realised how advanced the Argus was online until I searched for my g grandfather - who was a C of E preacher who loved writing letters to newspapers. His views are much as was expected - but it is interesting to see some of his letters. I am still somewhat bemused by birth notices in early editions of both papers which seem to name the father - but not the child or the mother - as if the later had little to do with the event!

Trish

[Currie]

The Sydney Morning Herald appears to be available now right up to 1885.

Ten years ago I must have spent six months ploughing through the “News of the Day” columns in the Sydney Morning Herald on microfilm trying to find something about a family story that my Great Grandfather, William Irvine, had been given an award for diving off a Sydney Harbour Ferry to save someone who had fallen in. My G Grandfather died about two years after he had arrived in Australia.

A few seconds work on the keyboard and there it is, 27th January, 1885. I’ll follow it up tomorrow.

Easy as that,
Alan

[trish1]

Hi Alan

If you are still picking up on this thread - do you know a direct way to download any of the pages found? I wonder if I am missing something. I have simply been saving screen prints but wondered if there is an alternative

Trish

NB - The SMH looks to be virtually complete - I have just spent quite some time checking the Aust Agric Company - who sponsored one of my gg grandfathers into Australia - just an amazing resource

[LesleyB]

Hi Trish

I'm seeing choices, top left which say "Print" "Save as pdf" & "save as image"
pdf seems the best option as it also pops in the title of the newspaper and the date.

Best wishes
Lesley

[trish1]

Hi Trish

I'm seeing choices, top left which say "Print" "Save as pdf" & "save as image"
pdf seems the best option as it also pops in the title of the newspaper and the date.

Best wishes
Lesley

Good heavens - she says - - it must be true that my brain is disappearing as I get older - I didn't ever bother looking above the transcription - I prefer the image storage to pdf - seems to be a double process but easier than what I was doing

ta for that

Trish