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Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is NewspaperSG?
    NewspaperSG is an online resource of current and historic Singapore and Malaya newspapers. You can search our digital archive of newspapers published between 1831-2009, or find information on over 200 newspaper titles in the National Library's microfilm collection.

  2. How do I search the digitised newspaper collection?
    Enter your keyword(s) in the search box. The search engine will retrieve articles containing all of your search terms.

    To search an exact phrase, place quotation marks around your search terms, for example "Singapore River".

    You can use also the Boolean operator OR to expand your search. E.g. kampong OR kampung will retrieve articles containing the words kampong or kampung.

    Alternatively, you can use the Boolean operator NOT to narrow your search. E.g. kallang NOT airport will retrieve articles about Kallang but not Kallang Airport.

  3. What is Fuzzy Search?
    By default, the search engine will look for results that exactly match your search term/s.

    If you do not get many results, you may choose to do a fuzzy search instead. Fuzzy searching will find a word even if it is misspelled. It can be very useful when searching text generated using OCR software, as there are varying levels of accuracy depending on the quality of the original newspaper or microfilm. For example, a fuzzy search for singapore will find sincapore or sinoapore.

  4. Why are there mistakes in the article extract?
    The searchable newspaper text that appears in the article extract has been automatically generated using OCR software. Optical Character Recognition or OCR is a process by which software reads a page image and translates it into a text file by recognising the shapes of the letters (The NINCH Guide to Good Practice in the Digital Representation and Management of Cultural Heritage Materials). OCR enables searching of large quantities of full-text data, but it is never 100% accurate. The level of accuracy depends on the print quality of the original newspaper, its condition at the time of microfilming, and the level of detail captured by the microfilm scanner. Newspapers with poor quality paper, small print, mixed fonts, multiple column layouts, or damaged pages may have poor OCR accuracy.

  5. What are the titles in the digitised newspaper collection?
      Newspaper Issues Digitised Full article available from home* Full article available from multimedia stations at NLB libraries
    5.1Berita Harian/Minggu1970 - 20081970 - 19891970 - 2008
    5.2The Business TimesJan 1990 - 20091990 - 19891990 - 2009
    5.3Daily Advertiser1890 - 18941890 - 18941890 - 1894
    5.4Eastern Daily Mail and Straits Morning Advertiser1905 - 19071905 - 19071905 - 1907
    5.5联合早报(Lianhe Zaobao)Mar 1983 - 20081983–19891983 - 2008
    5.6Malayan Saturday Post1924 - 19331924 - 19331924 - 1933
    5.7Mid - day Herald1895 - 18961895 - 18961895 - 1896
    5.8南洋商报 (Nanyang Siang Pau)1979 - 19831979 - 19831979 - 1983
    5.9Singapore Chronicle and Commercial Register1831 - 18361831 - 18361831 - 1836
    5.10星洲日報(Sin Chew Jit Poh)May 1979 - 1983May 1979 - 1983May 1979 - 1983
    5.11Singapore Daily News1932 - 19331932 - 19331932 - 1933
    5.12The Singapore Free PressSep 1925 - 19621925 - 19621925 - 1962
    5.13The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1835–1869)1835 - 18511835 - 18511835 - 1851
    5.14The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942)1884 - 19421884 - 19421884 - 1942
    5.15Singapore MonitorNov 1982 - Jul 19851982 - 19851982 - 1985
    5.16Singapore Weekly Herald1888 - 18891888 - 18891888 - 1889
    5.17Straits Advocate188918891889
    5.18Straits Chinese Herald189418941894
    5.19Straits Eurasian Advocate188818881888
    5.20Straits Mail1894 - 18951894 - 18951894 - 1895
    5.21Straits Observer (Singapore)1874 - 18971874 - 18971874 - 1897
    5.22Straits Telegraph and Daily Advertiser189918991899
    5.23The Straits Times1845 - 20091845 - 19891845 - 2009
    5.24Straits Times Overland Journal1869 - 18811869 - 18811869 - 1881
    5.25Straits Times Weekly Issue1883 - 18931883 - 18931883 - 1893
    5.26TODAY / Weekend TODAY2000 - 20092000 - 20092000 - 2009
    5.27Weekly Sun1910 - 19131910 - 19131910 - 1913
    * Articles accessed from home are watermarked.
    ** Please note that there are missing issues in NewspaperSG. We are actively working on closing the collection gap by sourcing from other institutions that may hold these missing issues.

  6. Can I zoom to a particular section of the newspaper page?
    Yes. The zoom feature is provided at the page level. To view an article from the full page, click on "Show Article Zones", and select by clicking within the article boundary.

  7. Can I download a copy of the article?
    No, you cannot download a copy of the article.

  8. How can I get an un-watermarked copy of a newspaper article for reference and research purposes?
    You can get an un-watermarked copy of the newspaper article from the multimedia stations at NLB libraries. Prints are charged at $1.00 per A4 page. Please collect your prints from the Print Console located at the Photocopying Room or next to the multimedia stations.

    If you are based overseas and would like the article reproductions to be sent to you, you can place a document delivery request with us here. Our document delivery team will contact you within 3 working days to liaise further on the details of your request. Please note that all reprographic prints are supplied strictly for reference and research purposes only. For all other uses, please see Question 14.

  9. What can't I view from home?
    Home users will not be able to view articles from third-party news sources (such as Reuters, AFP and AP) that are published during the last 70 years. Users are also unable to view articles published after 1989 in Singapore Press Holdings' newspapers. This includes Berita Harian, Business Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Straits Times and Tamil Murasu.

  10. What is the preview service?
    The preview service allows you to view issues of upcoming newspapers that will be made available in NewspaperSG in the future. Search function is not available for this feature.

    The following are the newspapers currently provided under the preview service :

    NewspaperIssues Digitised
    星洲日報 (Sin Chew Jit Poh)1951 - 1983
    南洋商报 (Nanyang Siang Pau)1923 - 1983
    Tamil Murasu (淡米尔之声)1936 - 2008
    Singai Nesan Tamil Journal1887 - 1890
    Warta Malaya1933 - 1941
    Warta Perang1941


  11. Why are illustration and continuation of an article on another page sometimes mismatched to the main article?
    Article zoning and linking are done manually. The high-volume of articles digitised contributes to occurrence of human errors. NLB is proactively seeking to improve the situation.

  12. Why are some page numbers displayed incorrectly?
    Newspaper supplement is not treated as a separate section. The page numbers in a supplement run in continuation from the Main section.

  13. What is Miscellaneous Cost?
    Miscellaneous Cost consists of other costs incurred in the maintenance and support of this website and its content.

  14. I wish to republish an article from the digitised newspaper collection, in print or electronically. Is that permitted?
    If you want to republish an article from the newspapers listed below, please contact the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Information Resource Centre at:
    Tel: +65 6319 5726; +65 6319 5508
    Email: sphlib@sph.com.sg

    NewspaperIssues Digitised
    Berita Harian/Minggu1970 - 2008
    The Business TimesJan 1990 – 2009
    联合早报(Lianhe Zaobao)1983 - 1998
    Tamil Murasu1936-2008
    星洲日報 (Sin Chew Jit Poh)1951 - 1983
    南洋商报 (Nanyang Siang Pau)1923 - 1983
    Singapore Daily News1932 - 1933
    The Singapore Free PressSep 1925 - 1962
    The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1835–1869)1835 - 1851
    The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942)1884 - 1942
    The Straits Times1845 - 2009
    Straits Times Overland Journal1869 - 1881
    Straits Times Weekly Issue1883 - 1893

    For newspapers not on this list, please email to: ref@library.nlb.gov.sg.

  15. How do I search the Newspapers on Microfilm collection?
    Enter keyword(s) of a newspaper title in the search box. The search engine will retrieve newspaper titles containing all your search terms. You may also search using Chinese or Tamil scripts.

    To retrieve all newspaper titles for a particular date range, place of publication, and/or language, leave the search box empty, select your search parameters and then run your search.

  16. Where can I find the Newspapers on Microfilm collection?
    The Newspapers on Microfilm collection is housed at the:

    Singapore and Southeast Asian Collections
    Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, Level 11
    National Library Singapore
    National Library Building
    100 Victoria Street
    Singapore 188064

    Selected newspapers on microfilm are also available at the Jurong Regional Library, Tampines Regional Library and the Woodlands Regional Library. The list of the titles is given in Question 17.

  17. What are the newspapers that are available on microfilm at the regional libraries?
    The newspapers are:

    NewspaperJurong TampinesWoodlands
    The Straits Times & The Sunday TimesJan 1981 -Jan 1981 -Jan 1996 -
    Business TimesJan 1981 -Jan 1993 -Mar 2001 -
    Lianhe Zaobao16 Mar 1983 -Mar 1983 -Mar 2001 -
    Lianhe Wanbao16 Mar 1983 -Jan 2004 -Jan 2001 -
    Berita Harian & Berita MingguJan 1981 -Jan 2004 -Jan 2001 -
    Tamil MurasuJan 1991 -Jan 2004 -Jan 2001 -


  18. How much does it costs to print from microfilm?
    The reprographic rates are:

    A4 plain paper: $1.00
    A3 plain paper: $1.00

    Charges are payable by cash only.

  19. Where else can I access online archives of Singapore newspapers?
    You can also find online archives of current Singapore newspapers in databases subscribed by the library. To access these databases, go to NLB eResources look for "Browse By Type", and click on "eNewspapers". You may wish to note that access to the Singapore newspapers in these databases is only available to patrons using the multimedia media stations at NLB libraries or the NLB-PUBLIC network at the National Library Building.

    Online newspaper archives are also available directly from the publishers.

    You may choose to subscribe to Newslink, an online newspaper archival service provided by the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). The site offers access to The Straits Times from 1989 as well as a range of newspapers published by them.

    Archived issues of TODAY are available to registered TODAYonline members at http://www.todayonline.com

  20. Where can I find information on the NewspaperSG project?
    The NewspaperSG project has been reported in the following articles:





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