British Library was busy in a project, which sounds a lot like similar project undertaken by Google. The library has just finished putting
65 million newspaper articles online, which translates to roughly 4 million web pages. The articles cover the time span of more than 300 years. The newspapers are the part The British Newspaper Archive and until now, were available in the hard form only. These newspapers are kept in the British Library newspaper depository in Colindale in North London.
The recent achievement is a part of the bigger project, which aims to get 650 million articles online by 2020. This mass would equate to 40 million web pages. The program has political backing too. Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries said, "The British Newspaper Archive is a rich and hugely exciting resource, packed with historical detail. I'm delighted that the British Library and Brightsolid are working together to transform access to the nation's published memory.”
If you want to access these articles, you can head to the British Library, where you can access them for free. Alternatively, you can cough up £6.95 for 48 hours of access. Once you have paid this fee, you will be able to download PDF copy of the articles you require. The library offers alternative plans as well. You can opt for 30 days access, which will cost you £29.95, whereas annual subscription goes for £79.95.