It happens almost every day. Someone drops a newspaper article I should read into my DMs. I click on the link, only to slam right into the newspaper’s paywall.
I get it. Good journalism costs money. But I get recommendations about news articles from way more news outlets than I can afford to subscribe to, even if I wanted to. Luckily, I’m affiliated with a university that can! So how do I use my LMU status to get around the paywall? It’s thanks to the LMU library. LMU makes sure the library can afford thousands of subscriptions. Subscriptions to thousands of newspapers and other news sources. Because there are so many news sources on tap at the library, pulling them up requires just a little bit more investment of time than using a search engine like Google or DuckDuckGo.
You have two basic options: one is the Database List for a broad collection of newspapers. That’s best for when you want to search on a topic in the news generally, or when you’re looking for an article you know should be in one of the leading national newspapers. The other option is the Journal List, for when you want to just zero in on a specific newspaper (or magazine). Once you know how each of them works, you can decide when and how to use them, depending on your news need at the time.
Let’s look at option 1 first. At library.lmu.edu, find the Database List button. Click through, and scroll down right away. You’re looking for the list at the very bottom of the Database List page that says “News / Current Events.” Click on that, and scroll down again until you see “US Major Dailies.” That’s our special database for the “big five:” the Wall Street Journal, the LA Times, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Washington Post. Chances are, if someone has texted you about an article they just saw and want you to read, it’ll be in one of those. Once you’re in US Major Dailies, just make the article headline your search (Also, I hope you noticed that loooong list of news sources while you were scrolling down to US Major Dailies! Take a look and see which ones might come in handy sometime.)
You can also use US Major Dailies to find journalism and breaking news on any topic you like. It works for both specific “known item” searches and broad topical searching. But what about “known items” outside of the Big Five? Let’s say someone has sent you a link to an article about the latest twist in the Twitter vs Billionaire drama, and it’s behind that pesky paywall. Again, just head on over to library.lmu.edu – but this time, focus on the search box and its four tabs, and switch the search engine tab from “Catalog” to “Journal List.” Then put in the exact title as best you know it. The Journal List will show you links for all the access options the library has. There might be one database listed, or as many as six or seven. Click on through, and once again search by article title.
Now that you know how to use the Journal List, give a try with Rolling Stone, Business Insider, or Sports Illustrated, or your favorite scholarly journal.
Unfortunately, we do not offer a campus subscription to the consumer editions of NYTimes.com or other daily news websites. As an academic library, our primary responsibility is to provide access to information resources for the purpose of research, and platforms like US Major Dailies via Proquest offer a more robust search experience than the consumer version of those same newspapers (i.e., what you would experience on newspaper websites).
However, New York Times Digital and the Washington Post are both available with a Los Angeles Public Library card, and individual newspapers also offer substantial educational discounts for monthly individual/personal accounts. For our community members not currently residing in Los Angeles, we recommend that you check out your local library branch’s digital offerings.
Have questions? At any time you’re looking for newspapers (or anytime you’re using the library web site or databases) and something seems off, or the above instructions didn’t get you to what you need, please check in with us in our chat help service at the Get Help page.