Sources at Tech Library now confirm a story, originally leaked on Facebook, that Arkansas Tech students have access to a new digital newspaper service called Library PressDisplay.

Reported to contain access to over 2,200 newspapers from 97 countries, in 54 languages, Library PressDisplay hopes to fulfill the need for students, faculty, and staff to stay informed about current events from around the world and around the country.

“We’re positively ecstatic about the color photographs, full-text searching ability, and the depth of coverage from around the world,” quoted one librarian.  “I can now read the front page of today’s newspaper from Egypt!  It’s in Arabic, however, so I can’t actually read it until I learn the language.”

But what does the new database offer for those interested in local news?

A spokesperson from the library reported that access to the digital version of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette is also available, as well as other newspapers across Arkansas like the Northwest Arkansas Times, Texarkana Gazette, The Sentinel-Record, and more.

“Unlike other newspaper databases, Library PressDisplay doesn’t serve up just the html version of the newspaper story—it’s the actual, digitized version of the paper.  It includes all of the photographs, ads, headlines, comics, and classifieds, exactly as they appear in the printed version,” observed one Tech librarian on the scene.

It was noted that, in addition to content, database users also have the ability to view picture galleries, RSS feed stories, listen to an audio recording of a newspaper, and share news stories via email or blog post.

Unfortunately, for those seeking newspaper articles from the past, it may not be a suitable resource.

As one librarian remarked, “If you’re looking for older news stories, Library PressDisplay covers only the last three months.  Try something like Lexis-Nexis Academic, or Newspaper Source for the last few decades of modern news.  You can also view the number of digital indexes for individual newspapers like the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the Pennsylvania Gazette for coverage going back a hundred years or more.”  All of these sources can be found on the List of Databases, “News” topical heading.

An extensive investigation also revealed the presence of “real” newspapers located in the Newspaper section of the library, as well as several other newspapers on microfilm accessible through the online catalog.

When asked how students could find assistance using this new database, a librarian at the Reference Desk enthusiastically whispered, “Ask us!” and promptly listed an email address, Reference Desk phone number, and the library hours during which the staff can be reached.  A video tutorial was also discovered on the Library PressDisplay webpage:

 http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/ShowDemo.aspx?name=demo_homepage