Research and Reference Resources

Quick guide to NewsBank

Need to find . . .

. . . a recent article in the State Journal?
. . . the score of the last Badger game?
. . . a copy of an obituary?

Look no further—NewsBank will track it down for you fast. Find full-text articles and obituaries from the Wisconsin State Journal, Capital Times, and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and get quick access to 10 popular magazines. Watch the video above for an introduction to the database, or scroll down for more detailed information.

• What is NewsBank?
• How do I access NewsBank?
• How do I search Madison newspapers in NewsBank?
• Can I search or browse magazines in NewsBank?
• Are there examples?
• Is there anything unique about Newsbank?
• How do I e-mail or print results?

What is NewsBank?

NewsBank is an easy-to-use newspaper archive containing full text articles from the Wisconsin State Journal (1989- present), Capital Times (1989- present), and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (1990-present). Updated daily, entries exclude advertisements, employment ads and classifieds.

How do I access Newsbank?

Connect here or visit the Madison Public Library Research and Reference page and choose Databases > NewsBank.

Due to licensing restrictions, this database is only available to customers who visit a Madison Public Library and remotely to Madison residents with valid library cards. We are also in the process of arranging access through the library's wireless networks for those who want to use the database in the library but on their own machines.

How do I search Madison newspapers in NewsBank?

After accessing NewsBank through the Madison Public Library website, click on America’s Newspapers.

To search only Wisconsin State Journal and Capital Times:

1. On main search page, under Locations, click Wisconsin.
2. Enter search terms and date preference if known (date suggestions and examples are offered when clicking on search box next to Date).
3. To create a more advanced search, Add Row at any time.
4. Check box to left of two Madison newspapers and click Search.

If, at this time, you decide to search both Madison newspapers and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, check both boxes.

To search either the Wisconsin State Journal OR the Capital Times:

1. Click on the words Wisconsin State Journal/The Capital Times instead of checking the box. At the next page, choose limit to (below search box) to choose between two titles.
2. Fill in search terms (same as above).

At the bottom of the Search Results page is a drop-down box which can modify how many results will display at a time, and how they will appear.

Browsing an Issue—particularly handy if you are confident when the article appeared:

1. On main search page, click Wisconsin under Selected Source Types.
2. Click either Madison papers or Milwaukee paper in Source List.
3. Under Browse an Issue, choose the newspaper you’d like to browse, Enter a Date and click Go.

You’ll be presented with the articles that appeared on that day, listed by sections of the newspaper. Click on an entry to read more. If you don’t find exactly what you need, from here you can choose to view a previous or next date, get a Date List (which gives you options for the entire month), or enter a new date.

Can I search or browse magazines in Newsbank?

After accessing NewsBank through the Madison Public Library website, click on America’s News Magazines. After filling in the search boxes (same as outlined above) check the box(es) next to the magazines you'd like to include in your search.

To browse a magazine, click on a title, and fill in the Browse an Issue date box.

Are there examples?

• Example 1: I want to get all articles on author Michael Pollan that appeared in Madison newspapers for the last few months.
• Example 2: I was born on July 31, 1990. What were the headlines in the Wisconsin State Journal on that date?
• Example 3: I'm looking for an obituary. the last name is Stanley, he was a coroner, and I think he died within the last month.

Is there anything unique about NewsBank?

On any NewsBank search page, click on Other NewsBank Products in the upper right hand corner and go to Special Reports. These deserve special mention. NewsBank Special Reports include content from sources throughout the world, providing a global perspective, current and background information, statistics, maps, images, websites, and suggested search terms. New information is added daily to featured and current reports. These reports are perfect for school papers or just browsing and brushing up on current events.

How do I e-mail or print results?

Once you have checked the boxes next to your articles you’d like to save, click on the appropriate choice (e-mail or print) in the Saved Articles box on the upper right hand side of the article listing.