School history and archives · For librarians, journalism advisers and archivists
A school newspaper archive that saves the pages before they crumble
Scan the bound volumes and loose copies once, then let people read them on the touchscreen. Each issue gets a typed summary of its headlines, and every past editor gets a profile.
No account needed to start. Free to use. No payment details required.
What is a school newspaper archive?
A school newspaper archive preserves past issues of a student newspaper, usually organized by school year and kept in the library, so readers can look back at the headlines, columns and staff of earlier decades. With HistoryShowcase, each issue becomes a story with its scanned pages and a typed summary of headlines and names; search finds that typed text, not words printed on the scans.
Updated
- Made for
- Librarians, journalism advisers and archivists
- Where schools put it
- Journalism classroom, Library, Alumni newsletter
- Layouts
- Timeline, Photo gallery, Portrait gallery, Profiles
- Visitors can filter by
- Section, Year
- Cost
- Free to use. No payment details required.
The best record of school life, printed to last a week
The school newspaper is the most honest record of daily life a school has: lunch menus, arguments over the dress code, game recaps, editorials about the new principal. It is also printed on paper made to last a week. Old issues sit in bound volumes or a filing drawer, yellowing and cracking every time someone turns a page.
A school newspaper archive scans the issues once so people can read them on the touchscreen instead. Each issue or school year becomes a story with its scanned pages and a typed summary of the headlines, so visitors can search for a topic or a name. Former editors get profiles, and today’s staff can see the line of student journalists they belong to.
How does a school newspaper archive compare with bound back issues?
| What matters | Bound back issues | HistoryShowcase |
|---|---|---|
| Wear on the paper | Newsprint cracks each time pages turn | Scanned once; volumes stay on the shelf |
| Finding a story | Page through each volume | Search typed headlines and names |
| Former staff | Names tucked into old mastheads | Editor profiles in a portrait gallery |
| Adding new issues | Bound together at year’s end | The adviser adds each issue to the draft |
| Reading the original | The actual printed page | A scanned page on the touchscreen |
What to include in a newspaper archive
Front pages
The first thing people want to see, scanned for every issue you have.
Issues from big moments
Wartime, a championship season, a new building or a hard year, when the paper told the story first.
Typed headline summaries
A short list of each issue’s headlines and names, which is what search can find.
Mastheads and staff lists
Who edited, wrote and drew for each volume, so former staff can find their bylines.
Editor profiles
Each editor-in-chief with a photo, their year and where their writing took them.
Columns and cartoons
The recurring sports column, the advice page and the cartoons alumni still quote.
How to organize the paper’s archive
File issues by school year on a timeline, pull the best front pages into a gallery, and give editors their own portraits.
Your siteThe Student Paper
- Issues by school yearTimeline
One story per issue with its scanned pages and a typed list of headlines.
- Front pagesPhoto gallery
Memorable front pages in one gallery, captioned with the date.
- Editors and staffPortrait gallery
Each editor-in-chief with their year and the staff they led.
- Stories that matteredProfiles
Key articles retold in a short summary alongside the scanned clipping.
Visitors can narrow it by
- Section
- Year
How do you start a school newspaper archive?
Scan the most fragile volumes first
Newsprint ages fastest, so start with the oldest issues and any loose copies that are already tearing.
Type the headlines
For each issue, add a short summary listing the main headlines and names, so search can find them.
Hand it to the current staff
Add the newspaper adviser as an editor so each new issue joins the archive, then publish the update.
Where should a newspaper archive be displayed?
- Journalism classroomToday’s staff can see what earlier staffs covered.
- LibraryWhere the bound volumes used to come off the shelf.
- Alumni newsletterShare the link so former writers can find their bylines.
School newspaper archive questions
Can visitors search the full text of old issues?
No. Search finds the titles, names and text you type into each story, not words in a scanned page. Add a summary of the headlines and key names to each issue so people can find what they are looking for.
Should we scan every page of every issue?
Start with front pages and the issues people ask about, then fill in. Each story holds up to 100 photos or files, enough for a year of front pages or several full issues.
Can the current student paper add to it?
Yes. Add the adviser and student editors by email as editors. They add new issues to the private draft, and someone with publishing access publishes them.
Do we have to publish everything we scan?
No. Leave out anything you’re not ready to show, or archive the story. Archived stories stay hidden from visitors.
Related ideas
Give the student paper a second printing
Free to use. No payment details required.
