Memorial's commemorative First World War planning is gaining momentum as the 100th anniversary of the war draws closer.

In honour of this historical milestone, and to mark Memorial’s unique legacy as a monument to the many individuals who died in the First World War, Memorial University Libraries is committing to digitize key Newfoundland and Labrador newspapers during the war years, and beyond.

The Evening Telegram and The Daily Star are now in the libraries’ digital archive, the Digital Archives Initiative (DAI), so that anyone around the world can access them for free. This landmark initiative will change the First World War research landscape; in particular, it is likely to shed new light on the impact the war had on Newfoundland and Labrador in interesting and unexplored ways.

"This is something researchers have needed for a long time – the ability to do keyword and date searches in Newfoundland and Labrador newspapers," said Joan Ritcey, director, Centre for Newfoundland Studies, Queen Elizabeth II Library.

Up until this point, researchers were required to examine an original paper copy or the microfilm version, page-by-page, searching for relevant words. A daily newspaper, in full-sized paper, represents a lot of square footage; in microfilm one year fills six or seven reels.

"We know that a wide swath of people will benefit from this improved access," continued Ms. Ritcey. "Historians who are doing in-depth research on a topic, who need to follow the chronology of an issue, who need to find exact quotes, students who are trying to get the feel of a time and place, genealogists who are looking for family and street names, geographers looking for town planning discussions, political scientists looking at political careers and attitudes, and so on, will find this set essential. Almost every field will find important historical material in the newspapers."

Digitizing the province’s historical newspapers is an ongoing and colossal project. Sixteen dailies were published in Newfoundland and Labrador during the years of the First World War alone, of which 10 were based in St. John’s. Beyond the war coverage, digitization of the full run of the 19th- and 20th-century Newfoundland and Labrador newspapers is underway.

"A newspaper is exceptional as a historical primary resource; it is truly a slice of life that happens in real-time sequence and it makes history visceral and alive," said Lisa Goddard, scholarly communications librarian and chair of Memorial University Libraries’ First World War commemorative planning group."It is not one voice telling an experience, it is many voices all clamouring to have their opinions heard."

"Memorial’s beginnings and its identity are inextricably tied to the First World War," said Lorraine Busby, university librarian. "We need to reflect on the past to truly respect and honour the spirit of sacrifice so that we can begin to build a better world. Memorial University Libraries is an integral part of our campus-wide commemorative efforts and will continue to contribute to initiatives as they progress."

For more information on how to access the newspapers, please visit http://collections.mun.ca or contact CNS@qeii@mun.ca or 709-64-7476. To learn more about Memorial's First World War commemorations activities, please visit www.mun.ca/commemoration.