Internet Archive: Boston Phoenix Rises Again With New Online Access to Archives (1973-2013)

UPDATED POST (Dec. 22, 2021) An Ode To The (Now Digital) Boston Phoenix (via Northeastern University)

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From an Internet Archive Blog Post by Caralee Adams:

For More than 40 years, The Boston Phoenix was the city’s largest alternative weekly in covering local politics, arts, and culture

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With the advent of online advertising, it struggled like many independent newspapers to compete. In 2013, the Phoenix folded.

After the publication shut down, owner Stephen Mindich wanted the public to be able to access back issues of the Phoenix. The complete run of the newspaper from 1973 to 2013 was donated to Northeastern University’s special collections. The family signed copyright over the university.

Librarians led a crowdsourcing project to create a digital index of all the articles and authors, which was helpful for historians and others in their research, said Giordana Mecagni, head of special collections and university archivist. Northeastern had inquired about digitizing the collection, but it was cost prohibitive.

As it turns out, the Internet Archive owned the master microfilm for the Phoenix and it put the full collection online in a separate collection: The Boston Phoenix 1973-2013. Initially, the back issues were only available for one patron to check out at a time through Controlled Digital Lending. Once Northeastern learned about the digitized collection, it extended rights to the Archive to allow the Phoenix to be downloaded without controls.

Learn More. Read, the Complete Post

Direct to Boston Phoenix Digital Archive (via Internet Archive)

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Digital Collections, Digital Preservation, News