Best Practices

 

Beyond the Printed Newspaper

Remember when you used to choke at the price of offering printed newspapers from around the world to your library patrons? Remember being frustrated when you realized you were buying papers that were “yesterday’s news”? My, how things have changed in this new digital world!

Today, libraries worldwide are offering their patrons access to thousands of full-content digital newspaper replicas, often before they ever hit newsstands in their local markets -- digital replicas that offer so much more for so much less.

In this four part series, Beyond the Printed Newspaper, we will share how digital publications have moved far beyond a repository of news articles to being stimulants for social networking, travel guides, educational resources, and so much more…

This first issue looks at two very important ways in which libraries have improved the lives of their patrons by offering them instant access to hundreds of full-content digital newspapers.

Supporting Exchange Students and Foreign Studies Researchers

Oulu University Library in Finland needed to let exchange students and foreign researchers read their own domestic daily newspapers. Foreign newspapers were expensive and took a considerable amount of time to arrive in Finland. Even the domestic Finnish newspaper Aamulehti arrived in Oulu the day after it is published.

“University librarians felt they were paying for ‘old’ news,” said Tiina Jounio of Oulu University Library. “But now, for the price of couple of foreign newspapers, they are able to buy the whole Library PressDisplay service and have access to hundreds of international papers. Many patrons have been delighted to see that Aamulehti is also available in the Library PressDisplay catalogue and now they are able to read it ’hot off the press’.”

Jaana Isojärvi of Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences agrees, “There are a big number of foreign exchange students in Jyväskylä, and Library PressDisplay has served their needs very well. Librarians have been marketing the service and teaching students how to use it. The service has been used heavily with the number of users constantly rising.”

Enhancing ESL and Language Training

And with its growing list of 1,600+ full-content publications from 91 countries in 47 languages, Library PressDisplay helps grow a sound knowledge base in addition to improving one’s reading, comprehension and writing skills. Moreover, by listening to selected articles using on-demand audio, patrons have the ability to read along, improving both verbal pronunciation and intonation.

“As an ESL coach, I use PressDisplay to share news of the day with my students at school,” said Andy, an ESL Coach in New York. “I use the headlines and first paragraph of stories from around the world to stimulate conversation. With its multi-language features and instant translation, it is a great resource for ESL students inside and out of the classroom.”

Next month, Beyond the Printed Newspaper, will take a closer look at how digital replicas of newspapers have improved the quality of life for people with disabilities and created a more sustainable environment for us all.

For more information on how digital replicas of newspapers can improve the lives of your patrons while saving you money, please e-mail NewspaperDirect at libraries@newspaperdirect.com.