The Marriott Library has digitized over 100 years of the University of Utah’s student newspaper, The Daily Utah Chronicle. Copies of papers from 1892 to 1992 can now be read by anyone at https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu. This online service gives students a rare glimpse into the U’s history and traditions. Readers can dive into the past through one century of student-run newspapers.

The U’s first student-run paper was created in 1890. Called The Lantern, the paper fizzled out from a lack of support. Later, university librarian George Coray brought students together to form The Chronicle on Dec. 16, 1892. The Chronicle turned into a daily publication in 1946 and has been releasing content ever since.

Utah Digital Newspapers currently has a total of 337,466 articles under the paper title Utah Daily Chronicle.

For roughly 10 years, the Marriott Library has worked on digitizing The Daily Utah Chronicle’s articles and uploading them to an archival website so that students can see where the U’s student news started and how it has changed over the last century.

Original newspapers were loaned to the library for scanning by paper owners Paul Mogren, Walter Jones and Greg Thompson, who also provided historical background for the content of several articles.

Now, anyone can find out what tuition and travel fees were at the U in the late 1800’s. They can see images of early students and life on campus. Learn what the university was like before World War l and World War ll and read about historical events that have taken place at the U. Discover what was hip and stylish back in the 1960’s. All of this history and more is now easier to find.

Tradition has long been ingrained into the U. The university’s community has changed over time, but many things have stayed the same. Pull articles to utilize as references for papers or to take a step back into history. Find what trends have remained and which ones have evolved. After a quick search, look back to 1908 when the U’s now tobacco-free campus used to run ads for cigars and cigarettes in the school paper.

The Marriott Library’s digital services department has made all this possible. The digital services department collaborated with Ancestry.com on this project to make a century of The Daily Utah Chronicle easy to access.

A team of dedicated staff members devoted their time and resources to bring this information to everyone. All of the articles went through a scanning process, which was a simple and harmless method. Library staff ensured that while the old papers are now available online, the physical copies remained intact.

The library’s project took years to get all of the information from storage onto the internet and they believe that the benefits of the project are limitless.

Their website has a simple design, allowing anybody to easily navigate and find information. The site has a “keywords” search for quick results. The service is completely free to use.

Anyone can get access to these articles and students can even see the original copies at the Marriott Library by visiting special collections. The department is open to all students. The hours of the department are available through the library website. Appointments are not necessary.

The articles are filled with history and experiences from previous university attendees.

“This is a great opportunity for students to learn about the past,” said Heidi Brett, public relations specialist for the Marriott Library. 

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