Bedfordshire Library discontinues Times archive access

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:58 pm

Just checked my email and found one from the Bedfordshire Library saying that due to a problem with the licensing agreement, I would no longer be able to access the London Times archives as of Feb. 4th. It goes on to say that if I visited a Bedfordshire Library, I could pick up a card and upgrade my membership which would restore my access so the problem must only be for out of area memberships.

It was fun while it lasted!

Carol

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 1:09 pm

Hello Carol,

The Bedford Library access is still working for me and I haven’t heard anything from them. I don’t use it because I can also access the Times separately via my State Library and Regional Library but they’re restricted to locals. That’s three entirely unrelated access points, all of them free. Maybe the licensing issue relates only to the U.S.A. or perhaps it applies to anyone outside the U.K. and Bedford are doing a gradual cleanup that’ll see me kicked out as well.

U.S.A. non academic remote access might be restricted to arrangements like this one. http://www.godfrey.org/index.html but I can’t easily find any clear information on that. A list of institutions that have Times access would be a handy thing to have.

Looks like Gale only deal directly with Schools etc., Libraries and Businesses. Your local library should know if it’s possible to add the London Times and others to their publicly available database and whether there’s a funding issue or if there’s some other difficulty.

But if you can’t regain access and you need some info you know what to do.

Alan

Chris Paton · Post by **Chris Paton** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:21 pm

If the Times online access is withdrawn from Bedfordshire Virtual Library, it is worth knowing that the newspaper is online at http://www.footnote.com/documents/28036 ... mes?xid=47 , from 1785 to 1820, though for a fee.

Regards,

Chris

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 5:38 pm

Thanks to both of you!

Alan,

I'll keep you in mind. The real problem is that I enjoy rooting around in archives myself!

Chris,

I've bookmarked the footnote website. I suspect money is at the root of all changes......

Carol

Chris Paton · Post by **Chris Paton** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 5:51 pm

I'm a great fan of Star Trek. In the future, mankind will aparently no longer use money.

So keep an eye out for the Vulcans - they're the future...!!!

Chris

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 10:34 am

See the latest joining page at Bedford Library.
http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/c ... e=REGISTER

It looks like Bedford Library made an error in the interpretation of their licence agreement and it was intended to be Bedfordshire only, i.e. regional access only as is usually the case. It was only to be a matter of time before it got the attention of the mainstream genealogical media and everything hit the fan.

http://genealogy.about.com/b/2007/09/24 ... -times.htm

This could be the end of a 2 year (at least) honeymoon so in the meantime make the most of your access in case all non U.K. and maybe all non Bedfordians and those who haven't provided proof of residence are zapped.

Out of all that here’s a link to UK public libraries on the Web, http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/squar ... blibs.html
Check your own for possible access. The ones with gold stars, especially Gateshead which seems to have made quite an impression on the site author, might be worth a look at if only to see just how libraries compare as far as services provided. Gateshead looks very music orientated but is the full London Times Archive there?

Just looking at some of those, London Times Archives access doesn’t seem to be very common.

Alan

Chris Paton · Post by **Chris Paton** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:26 pm

It looks like you can still get access to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography through the site, but the game is definitely up for the Times. Alas...!

Chris