Some Frequently Asked Questions
The text in an article I viewed is incorrect or illegible
Software called Optical Character Recognition (OCR) has been used to translate the text from the original image of the newspaper page to searchable text. The pages have not been manually reviewed or corrected.
OCR makes it possible to quickly search large quantities of full text information but can never be 100% accurate. The accuracy depends on a variety of factors including the condition of the original newspaper or microfilm, quality of the paper as well as the size and style of the font and column layouts.
Where errors in the text are noticed, you have the option to correct text in the article. See Correcting Text for more information.
I know an article contains a particular word. Why doesn’t the article appear when I search using this word?
Due to the nature of the OCR process, some words may not have been accurately translated. If this is the case, the search won’t be able to identify these words even if they appear on the original newspaper page. Correcting this text will improve future users’ experience of searching the site so we always encourage you to do so.
What is OCR text?
Optical character recognition (OCR) text is the text that OCR software has translated from the original newspaper page to a searchable form. It is electronically scanned in and has not been manually reviewed or corrected.
How accurate is the OCR text in the articles?
The original newspaper pages have been scanned using high quality scanners and an optical character recognition (OCR) process which converts the newspaper image into searchable text. Both these processes produce the most accurate results possible; however, it is inevitable that some errors slip through.
The quality of the original newspaper affects the outcome and accuracy of the OCR scanning process. A number of factors influence the accuracy of the OCR:
- complex column layout
- variable font sizes and character types (especially Gothic)
- narrow space between lines
- narrow gutter between columns
- missing or misprinted text
-
poor quality or deteriorated inks
- poor quality or deteriorated papers
- ink bleed causing indistinct letters
- irregular alignment of characters in hand-set press
OCR makes it possible to search large quantities of full text information but it is not 100% accurate. The accuracy depends on a variety of factors: condition of the original newspaper or microfilm, quality of the paper, size and style of the font and column layouts, for example.
What should I do if there is an error in the OCR text?
When you have selected an article on a page in the viewer, you can view the original OCR text by clicking 'Show Article Text'. As the Optical Character Recognition text is electronically translated, there are often errors. You can fix any errors line by line by clicking 'edit to make the necessary corrections. Press 'save' when you have finished making your changes or 'cancel' to exit without saving your changes. You can correct individual letters, words and lines of text.
Can I download a copy of a page?
Yes. Click on File in the menu of the .pdf reader (above the image of the page) then click Save As. The file will be automatically given a title which is the date and page of the issue (you can change this if you wish) then click save to download to your pc. The file can be read with any pdf software eg Adobe Acrobat.
Is there a charge to download a copy of a page?
No, downloads are free of charge. The site is entirely run by volunteers on a non-profit basis.. However we would welcome donations, which will help defray ongoing costs, such as hosting the website on a commercial server. Find-out how to donate.
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