Arkansas Newspaper Research Made Easy

Photo Submitted

Tom W. Dillard and Index Arkansas staff: (seated) Elizabeth McKee and Andrea Cantrell; (standing) Joan Watkins and Rachel Skoney.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Researchers seeking newspaper articles about historic Arkansas events and people now have an easier task. Arkansas newspaper indexing has recently been added to Index Arkansas, an online database for publications dealing with Arkansas topics. Sponsored by the special collections department of the University of Arkansas Libraries, the index now contains nearly 30,000 citations from Arkansas statewide and regional newspapers, joining more than 60,000 citations from other historical and biographical sources.

Index Arkansas is an important resource for students and scholars, containing a total of 90,913 citations from Arkansas newspapers, periodicals and books. Tom W. Dillard, head of the special collections department, said, "The development of Index Arkansas is a transforming event in the study of our state. For so long researchers have labored without a good index to state literature, but now we have one. And, we fully expect to expand it substantially in the years to come."

The newly available newspaper citations began as records kept in an old-fashioned card file of 40 drawers. The records were carefully computerized and are now easily searchable by author, title, keyword, and subject. Coverage is mostly from the early 1930s through 1985, with scattered entries from the 1830s through the 1920s. 

In development for many years, Index Arkansas was initiated by the late Georgia Clark and expanded by Elizabeth McKee and Andrea Cantrell of the University of Arkansas Libraries.  Joan Watkins, current manager and senior editor of Index Arkansas, said, “I am profoundly grateful for what they have accomplished. It is rare to find such a level of dedication as shown by these individuals and the University Libraries.” 

Index Arkansas is unique. While other states and universities have undertaken similar projects, Index Arkansas stands apart from them because of the large number of publications covered and its availability online. In addition to newspapers, 43 Arkansas periodicals, 30 county history journals and 80 books with historical and biographical content are indexed. Researchers might find citations to newspaper articles ranging from an 1838 article about a Washington County dinner honoring Judge Archibald Yell, to articles from the 1930s about drought in Arkansas during the dust bowl era, and articles concerning the Cuban refugee crisis at Fort Chaffee in the early 1980s.

Dillard said, “Index Arkansas is a new bridge to our heritage. It will help Arkansans discover that, yes, we do have a heritage — and it is worth studying. I hope researchers will make great use of it.” After finding citations to newspaper articles on their topics, researchers can obtain copies of the articles through their local library or its interlibrary loan service. Index Arkansas is available online at http://arkindex.uark.edu/. Use of the index is free of charge and available to everyone.