There are many more newspapers that were published in Alaska and elsewhere than were either indexed or digitized. Microfilmed issues of other newspapers are held in many libraries across the country.
The Library of Congress has published a comprehensive finding guide to newspapers held in US library collections. It is called the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries. According to the Library of Congress:
"The Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries is a searchable index of newspapers published in the United States since 1690. This directory can help identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them. The Library of Congress does not hold all titles included in this Directory."
The Alaska State Library holds and has produced indexing resources for historical Alaska newspapers. This resource is intended to list these resources, along with other free, publicly available indexes and Alaskan newspaper archives. We're not linking to resources requiring a paid subscription.
If you don’t see your community listed below, try searching the Alaska Library Catalog with [(community name) newspapers indexes]. Indexes may be available at other libraries for check-out and inter-library loan.
The printed indexes are available in the Ready/Genealogy section of the Reading Richard Foster Room of the Alaska State Library and/or in the Research Center or in the Historical Collections vault as noted. Click on the title of a print index to see its catalog record as some indexes are available in other libraries in Alaska.
This finding guide is arranged by community. Digital resources are noted first, then printed indexes are listed below in bold letters and are followed by the newspaper titles indexed within each if not mentioned in the title.
The Alaska State Library participates in the National Digital Newspaper Program, which posts digitized newspapers on Chronicling America. As of June 2023, there were 127 Alaskan newspapers with content on this site.
Currently digitized newspapers can be searched separately or as a group by keyword or browsed by issue by visiting Chronicling America or by scanning the QR code below with your phone or tablet:
The Alaska Newspapers Index is a searchable database. It provides citation access to the following newspapers in Juneau, Fairbanks (searchable as a group), Tanana (searchable as a group), and Yukon:
ALASKA NEWSPAPER INDEX
October 1966-December 1972
READY REFERENCE AI21.A4 1966-1972 (2 blue binders)
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS READING ROOM AI21.A4 1966-1972 (2 black binders)
January 1973
READY REFERENCE AI21.A4 1973 v. 1 (red binder)
October – December 1973
READY REFERENCE AI21.A4 1973 v. 2 (red binder)
1973-1976
READY REFERENCE AI21.A4 1973-1976 (red binder)
1982-1983
READY REFERENCE AI3.A42 (8 fiche-black binder)
1982-1984
READY REFERENCE AI3.A42
1983 (incomplete)
READY REFERENCE AI 3 .A42
OBITUARIES FROM ALASKA WEEKLY AND ALASKA SPORTSMAN, 1901-1966
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS VERTICAL FILE F903.O34 VF
SUBJECT GUIDE FOR THE JUNEAU EMPIRE, FAIRBANKS DAILY NEWS-MINER, AND THE ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS (SELECTIVE ISSUES), January – June 1982
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS PN4897.A43 S92
A PILOT INDEX OF THE TUNDRA TIMES, Vol.1, No.1 to Vol.1, No.12 (Statewide coverage of Alaska Native issues)
October 1, 1962 - March 18, 1963
READY REFERENCE PN4897.A4 J37 1974
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS PN4897.A4 J37 1974
TUNDRA TIMES, 1-80 TO 11-82 : [AN INDEX] [MICROFORM], January 1980 – November 1982
HISTORICAL MICROFICHE PN4897.A4 T86
ALASKA WEEKLY (SEATTLE), 1923-1948; INDEX BY DATE WITH SUBJECT GUIDE.
1923-1948
READY REFERENCE PN4897.A4 D42 1979 (black binder)
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS READING ROOM PN4897.A4 D42 1979
ALASKA CLIPPINGS FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES [STANTON H. PATTY’S ARTICLES ON ALASKAN TOPICS AS PUBLISHED IN THE SEATTLE TIMES]
1967-1977
READY REFERENCE F899.S4 S457
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F899.S4 S457
Indexing coverage: 1915 – 2000. Coverage is strongest for obituaries. Non-obituary coverage is concentrated in the 1910s and late 1960s to early 1980s. See below for specifics.
ANCHORAGE NEWSPAPER INDEX
(15 fiche in black binder with Alaska Newspaper Index fiche for 1982 - 1984)
1980
READY REFERENCE AI21.A53 1980
1980-Feb. 1982
READY REFERENCE AI21.A53 1980
ANCHORAGE TIMES OBITUARIES INDEX.
1915 – 1980
GENEALOGY REFERENCE F903.A5 1979 v. 1-2 (8 fiche in yellow binder)
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F903.A5 1979 v. 1-2
1981 – 1990 (Separate catalog recored)
GENEALOGY REFERENCE. F903.A5 1991 (red bound volume)
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F903.A5 1991
THE ANCHORAGE OBITUARY INDEX
1991 – 1995
GENEALOGY REFERENCE F903.A5 1996
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F903.A5 1996
1996 – 2000 (Separate catalog record)
GENEALOGY REFERENCE F903.A5 2001
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F903.A5 2001
ALASKA NEWSPAPER INDEX (See Alaska General for Full Description)
1966-1972 (2 blue binders), January 1973, 1982-1984
READY REFERENCE AI21.A4
Indexing coverage: 1956 – 1963. See below for specifics.
Indexing Coverage: 1910-1915, 1931-1933 and 1956-1959. See below for specifics.
A CROSS-REFERENCE OF PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THE CHITINA LEADER 1910-1911
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F914.C45 K58 1989
Indexing Coverage: 1914-1923. See below for specifics.
Indexing Coverage: 1950, 1952-1955. See below for specifics.
Indexing Coverage (Douglas-specific): 1896-1922. See below for specifics. See also Juneau for indexing coverage that includes Douglas.
1898-1922 VITAL RECORDS OF ALASKA & YUKON (MARRIAGE, DEATH, BIRTH, DIVORCE, ANNIVERSARY & CHRISTENING) AS REPORTED IN THE WEEKLY DOUGLAS ISLAND NEWSPAPER.
GENEALOGY REFERENCE F903.A12 1991
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F903.A12 1991
Indexing Coverage: October 8, 1898. If you know of additional newspapers for Eagle City, please contact the Alaska State Library Historical Collections at asl.historical@alaska.gov.
Indexing Coverage: 1903 – 1974, with broadest coverage before 1920 and after the mid-1950s. See below for details.
• Alaska Citizen. (April 1912 – January 1920)
• Fairbanks Daily News. (November 1904 – May 1975)
• Fairbanks Daily Times. (July 1904 – December 1916)
• Fairbanks Weekly News. (September 1903 – May 1908)
• Northern Light. (February 1906 – September 1907)
• Additionally, you can search “All Fairbanks Papers” which will search the five papers above all at once.
INDEX OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, AND DIVORCES IN FAIRBANKS, ALASKA NEWSPAPERS, 1903-1930
GENEALOGY REFERENCE PN4899.F3I52 1986
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS PN4899.F3I52 1986
BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES AND DEATHS REPORTED IN THE FAIRBANKS DAILY NEWS-MINER
1940-1949
GENEALOGY REFERENCE F914.F16B57 2000
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F914.F16B57 2000
1950-1955 (Separate catalog record)
GENEALOGY REFERENCE F914.F16B57 2002
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F914.F16B57 2002
AN INDEX TO THE EARLY HISTORY OF ALASKA AS REPORTED IN THE 1903-1907 FAIRBANKS NEWSPAPERS.
GENEALOGY REFERENCE PN4899.F3 I53
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS PN4899.F3 I53
NAME AUTHORITY FILE FOR FAIRBANKS, ALASKA NEWSPAPERS
1908 - FEBRUARY 1914.
GENEALOGY REFERENCE PN4899.F3 N35 1986
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS PN4899.F3 N35 1986
Indexing Coverage: 1962-1963. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1921-1926. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1946-1956. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1907 – 1912. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1919 – 1920. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1919 – 1934. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1910 – 1919. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1885-1976, 1983, 1990-1999. See below for details. Some indexes are very specific (mining, vital records, etc.).
Alaska Newspapers Index (Citations only)
• Juneau Empire. (December 1990 – August 1999)
ALASKA NEWSPAPER INDEX (1966 - 1972, January 1973, October - December 1973, 1973-1976, 1983)
READY REFERENCE AI21.A4 and AI21.A48 (Multiple binders). See Alaska General section for full description.
CAPT. LLOYD H. "KINKY" BAYERS [Information and photograph collection on Pacific Northwest marine history, Alaska history and local history of Juneau, Alaska 1898-1968]
GENEALOGY REFERENCE (6 binders)
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS READING ROOM (4 BINDERS)
CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS IN SOUTHEAST ALASKAN NEWSPAPERS : AN INDEX [1933-1941]
CIRCULATING COLLECTION SD144.A4 S65 1985
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS SD144.A4 S65 1985
A GUIDE TO SUBJECT AND PLACES IN THE ALASKA SEARCHLIGHT,1894-1898 [JUNEAU]
READY REFERENCE F901.A467
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS READING ROOM F901.A467
ALASKA FREE PRESS NEWSPAPER INDEXING PROJECT : JANUARY 19, 1887 - JANUARY 21, 1888, JANUARY 28, 1888 - MARCH 21, 1891
GENEALOGY REFERENCE F914.J9A49 2007
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F914.J9A49 2007
AN INDEX TO MINES AND PROSPECTS IN THE JUNEAU GOLD BELT FROM JUNEAU-AREA NEWSPAPERS, 1885-1912
CIRCULATING COLLECTION F909.R42 1987
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F909.R42 1987
AN INDEX TO MINING-RELATED ARTICLES ABOUT THE MINES AND MINERS IN THE JUNEAU GOLD BELT, PORCUPINE, ADMIRALTY ISLAND AND CHICHAGOF AREAS FROM JUNEAU-AREA NEWSPAPERS, 1885-1944.
GENEALOGY REFERENCE F909.R42 1989
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS READING ROOM F909.R42 1989
VITAL RECORDS FROM ALASKA DAILY EMPIRE, JUNEAU, ALASKA
1916-1936
GENEALOGY REFERENCE F903 A45 v.1-5
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS READING ROOM F903.A45 v.1-5
Indexing Coverage: 1901-1936, 1965-1970. See below for details.
NEW ALASKAN INDEX, 1965-1970
GENEALOGY REFERENCE F901.N421
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F901.N421
AN INDEX TO MINING-RELATED ARTICLES IN KETCHIKAN NEWSPAPERS, 1901-1936: KETCHIKAN DISTRICT (INCLUDING GEORGE AND CARROLL INLETS, THORNE BAY, GRAVINA AND ANNETTE ISLANDS) AND HYDER, HELM BAY, PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND, AND SOUTHEAST ALASKA
GENEALOGY REFERENCE TN24.A4 R42 1997
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS TN24.A4 R42 1997
Indexing Coverage: 1948, 1955-56, 1961-63. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1937-1938. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1900-1922, 1940-1963
Indexing Coverage: 1915-1916. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1916 – 1927. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1921 – 1937. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1939 – 1942. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1916 – 1923. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1900-1963, 1982-1984. See below for details. Also, there were several separate Nome newspapers with the same name that operated at different times.
ALASKA INDEXING NETWORK
1982-1984
GENEALOGY REFERENCE AI3.A42 1984
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS AI3.A42 1984
NOME NUGGET & TUNDRA TIMES (among others)
Indexing Coverage: 1935-1963
Indexing Coverage: 1913-1916, 1926-1932
INDEX TO THE PETERSBURG NEWSPAPERS, 1913-1916.
GENEALOGY REFERENCE PN4899.P46 F66 1984
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS PN4899.P46 F66 1984
Indexing Coverage: 1900 – 1907. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1946 – 1947. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1904-1933, 1948-1955. See below for details. Also, there were several separate Seward newspapers with the same name that operated at different times.
INDEX TO THE SEWARD GATEWAY, A NEWSPAPER, 1904-1910.
GENEALOGY REFERENCE PN4899.S45 S46 1983
Indexing Coverage: 1885 - 1912, 1914 - 1979, 1987 – 1992. Topic coverage may vary by source. See below for details.
INDEX TO THE THLINGET
August 1908 - June 1912
READY REFERENCE F914.S6 S55 1975
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F914.S6 S55 1975
INDEX TO THE NORTH STAR
December 1887-August 1898
READY REFERENCE E78.A3 N601
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS E78.A3 N601
INDEX TO THE VERSTOVIAN
1914 – 1973
CIRCULATING COLLECTION LD4931.S4 V41 1974
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS LD4931.S4 V41 1974
INDEX TO THE VERSTOVIAN (THE SJC TODAY)
Fall 1973 - Summer 1979
READY REFERENCE LD4931.S4 V41 1979
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS LD4931.S4 V41 1979
SITKA SENTINEL OBITUARIES
1940-1955, 1960, 1963-1964 (partial), 1965-1969, 1971-1974, 1987-1992
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS VERTICAL FILE 1994.0021 VF
SUBJECT INDEX TO THE ALASKAN, 1885-1907, A SITKA NEWSPAPER.
GENEALOGY REFERENCE F901.A295 No. 3
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F901.A295 No.3
Indexing Coverage: 1898 – 1922. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1907 – 1915. See below for details.
Alaska Newspapers Index (Citations only, Tanana papers can also be searched as a group)
Indexing Coverage: 1913 – 1917. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1902 – 1918, 1950 – 1951
Indexing Coverage: 1893 – 1902, 1905. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1917 – 1921. See below for details.
Indexing Coverage: 1902 – 1956. See below for details.
WRANGELL NEWSPAPERS INDEXING PROJECT: STIKEEN RIVER JOURNAL 1898-1899, FORT WRANGEL NEWS 1898, PEOPLE INDEX, BIRTH INDEX, OBITUARY INDEX
GENEAOLOGY REFERENCE F914.W8W825
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS F914.W8W825
