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The New Mexico Newspaper Project began in 1992 and ended in 1996. Over the five year period, the staff sought out newspapers from every nook and cranny in New Mexico. One thousand six hundred unique newspaper titles that were published in New Mexico since 1844 were identified, cataloged, and holdings inventoried during the first phase. Efforts were made to identify Spanish language newspapers as well as bilingual newspapers in Spanish and English. In the second phase, the microfilming of selected newspapers was carried out. Priority was given to newspapers never before microfilmed and every effort was made to ensure state wide coverage -- especially newspapers in smaller locales. Over 600 reels (almost 500,000 pages of newsprint) were filmed. Contributing institutions received positive copies of the microfilm and the original issues were returned if the lending institutions desired. UNM Libraries Center for Southwest Research maintains the master negatives. Positive copies of the microfilm completed during the project are available in the microfilm collection.
The database resulting from the project research is available via this web site. At present, it contains only information about holdings. The information that is found in this database includes title, place of publication (city and county), publisher, dates that the newspaper was published, language, frequency of publication, and holdings locations for the various institutions. No one institution holds every newspaper, but this database will assist researchers in locating where the holdings may be found. Eventually, digital copies of some newspapers will be added to this web site.
This project was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the University of New Mexico Center for Regional Studies and the Friends of the University of New Mexico Libraries.
The New Mexico Newspaper Project staff consisted of Marilyn Fletcher, Dave Rixse, Henry Guenther, and Anne McGoey and many UNM students. The NMNP joined with other state projects across the nation to preserve the newspapers on microfilm and provide access to the holdings not only at the University of New Mexico, but at other institutions as well. Staff traveled to County Clerk Offices, newspaper offices, museums, and a few individual collections. The major institutions participating were UNM Libraries, New Mexico State University Library in Las Cruces, and the New Mexico State Library in Santa Fe.
A complete history and documentation of the New Mexico Newspaper Project is housed in the University Archives, Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico Libraries.
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