University Libraries' Holdings:
McWherter has: 1951- (NOTE: Microfilm: Newspapers: Cabinet 35, Drawer 7)
Location: McWherter Library - 2nd Floor - Microforms
Latest Received: 2012
McWherter has: Current months in Unbound Periodicals Section; held until microfilm is received
Location: McWherter Library - 2nd Floor - Periodicals
Latest Received: February 6-12, 2014 v.63 no.6
Busing Boycott: In March 1972, Citizens Against Busing expressed their opposition by burying an old school bus at 2150 James Road. The group buried it about 16 feet deep, then dug it up. Commercial Appeal / University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department files
The Commercial Appeal access: The University Libraries owns microfilm for 1894-present (Cabinet 10, Drawer 2 thru Cabinet 12, Drawer 5) and 2005-present (Cabinet 41, Drawers 5-8 and continuing)
The University Libraries' Historical Newspapers Research Guide provides a comprehensive resource for historical U. S. newspapers that are available online, including those available through newspaperarchives.com, the Google News Historical Archives, Chronicling America (Library of Congress), and state archives. The guide has two sections devoted to African American and Civil Rights-themed newspapers and how to access them.
Tennessee (outside Memphis and Shelby County):
Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle (2002– ): snippets of Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle articles may be viewed for free
Jackson Sun (2003– ): snippets of Jackson Sun articles may be viewed for free
Memphis World (an African American Newspaper): The University Libraries own microfilm for 1931-1932 and 1943-1970.
Murfreesboro Daily News Journal (1999– ): snippets of Murfreesboro Daily News Journal articles may be viewed for free
Nashville Tennessean (2002– ): snippets of Nashville Tennessean articles may be viewed for free
Note the University Libraries holdings listed for the Tennessee newspapers.
For full text of an article within a newspaper date that the University Libraries do not have: please contact our Interlibrary Loan office at ill_borrowing@memphis.edu and be sure to include article details such as date, publication, page information, and so forth.)
For more information on University Libraries' access to newspapers and tips on searching for historical news, visit our Historical Newspapers Research Guide.
This digital collage was designed by Anna Swearengen, 2014, and contains headlines selected by University Libraries's staff from issues of the Memphis World published in 1964 and scanned from microfilm. A printed copy is displayed on the fourth floor of McWherter Library as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: How Far Have We Come? exhibition.
The Memphis World, published from 1931 to 1973, was one of Memphis’ leading African American newspapers that documented the challenges faced by the city’s diverse population. The University Libraries owns microfilm for 1931-1932 and 1943-1970.
Two women get affidavits notorized stating that their voting rights have been denied. July 7, 1964, Press Scimitar
Memphis Press-Scimitar Morgue Files
When this newspaper closed in 1984, the McWherter Special Collections Department received its morgue file (a.k.a. "clipping library" or "library") along with the index files. These files consist of clippings from the Press-Scimitar (and sometimes other papers), associated photos, and sometimes ephemeral materials such as programs, flyers, and brochures produced by people or organizations covered.
The Morgue File Index is available in the Special Collections reading room, and consists of hundreds of thousands of cards organized alphabetically by personal or corporate (i.e. organization) name, and sometimes by broad topic or category (i.e. "Desegregation").