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Newspaper gives away thousands of historic editions to readers

Thousands of historic editions of a regional daily are being given away to readers free of charge.

The Worcester News is giving away 57 years worth of archived copies after completing a project to store them all on microfilm in a local library.

The News says it is now “no longer essential” to keep its collection of old newspapers as a result, and is offering readers the chance to claim bound volumes featuring a month’s worth of newspapers.

Aside from those featuring editions from the first few months of 1935, which the News will be keeping, readers can claim up to six volumes of archived papers on a first-come-first-served basis.

The paper says it may review this policy depending on demand and no editions post-1992 are available, as this was the year it ceased preserving the paper in bindings.

Around 500 volumes of newspapers totalling more than 15,000 individual editions are being made available as part of the initiative.

Worcester archive

Roni Skye, editorial PA at the News, is among those to have taken a volume home with her from 1965, the year she was born.

The archives can now be found at the Hive library, which acts as Worcestershire’s county archives service.

In June 17 volumes of the News’s sister title and the reputed oldest newspaper in the world, Berrow’s Worcester Journal, were donated to the library.

Discussing the latest giveaway, News deputy editor John Wilson said: “After recently completing an audit of our back issues we took advice from experts from Worcestershire County Council’s archives service.

“Their view was that as all issues of the Worcester News and its sister titles are on microfilm as a historical record, preservation of the original bound volumes, some of which are in poor condition, is not essential.

“Given the escalating costs of warehouse storage for the volumes, which have never been open to public inspection, the time had come for them to go to a good home.

“We think our readers, the people who have loyally made the newspaper part of their lives for the last 80 years, deserve a token of our gratitude. They can claim a free volume of bound copies free simply be contacting us and letting us know what they want as a keepsake.”

Readers have until Wednesday 30 September to apply for the volumes.

8 comments

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  • September 22, 2015 at 7:19 am
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    A gift for boot sale profiteers because there’s a market for that kind of stuff. Didn’t they realise?

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  • September 22, 2015 at 8:51 am
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    Idiotic move (no surprise), a print edition is much easier to look through. Microfilm, has one big advantage… It doesn’t take up so much space…so they won’t need such a big office….or… They could move subbing to a hub miles away and get the reporters to work from home and not have an office at all!

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  • September 22, 2015 at 10:38 am
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    It is always a surprise to flick through old copies. They offer a glimpse into a world where getting a scoop using rare reporting skills was of upmost importance. Today’s wunderkind will benefit greatly from this to teach them that a story doesn’t always come from a tweet. A new restaurant opening was usually put towards the back, now its a lead, or a splash.

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  • September 22, 2015 at 11:01 am
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    More evidence that newspapers don’t have a clue how to make money. Just look on eBay – single copies of old papers generally go for around £2-£5 with even more for historic coverage. These are bound volumes for goodness sake.

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  • September 22, 2015 at 2:36 pm
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    Obviously no one there knows the 3-2-1 rule of backup.

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  • September 22, 2015 at 9:11 pm
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    Did no one think that this priceless archive might be of use to the local reference or University….unbelievable!

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  • September 23, 2015 at 10:43 am
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    We shouldn’t be surprised really. It’s become clear over the years that senior decision makers at Newsquest know the cost of everything, but the value of nothing. They don’t value their experienced staff so they aren’t going to care a jot about their newspapers’ histories. To them the bound volumes are simply an inconvenience, something to be chucked or given away. And, frankly, going on my experience with them, I don’t think they would even recognise a marketing opportunity if it smacked them in the face with one of the volumes.

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  • September 27, 2015 at 2:23 pm
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    So the newspaper no longer has its own archive, and any research into past stories will rely on reporters rocking up to the local library like any other punter – assuming the library is open and not, like in many areas, closed or opening much-reduced hours. Well done, Worcester News, that’s a smart move, then…

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