Enhanced Search Capabilities Added to OldNews.com

It’s been only three months since launch, and OldNews.com is already on its way to becoming the top website for historical newspapers from around the world. OldNews.com was warmly received by the genealogy community, and the feedback we’ve gotten has been wonderful. Several genealogists even shared the priceless discoveries they made using historical newspapers from OldNews.com. We are deeply invested in adding a broad array of newspaper content from many countries, and are likewise committed to enhancing the user experience through new features and tools. Today, we are pleased to share two additions to the search capabilities on OldNews.com that will undoubtedly improve the way you find and explore historical newspapers. 

Enhanced publication name filter

Until now, when using the publication name filter, OldNews.com would only search for the exact terms or letters entered in the search query. We’ve enhanced the publication name filter so that once you enter at least 3 letters in your search, it will autocomplete the query and display a list of publication names that include your query. 

To use the enhanced publication name filter, click “Publication name” on the search form. 

Publication name filter (click to zoom)

This opens a popup where you can enter the name of the publication you’re looking for. Start typing the name and it will automatically suggest publications that include the letters or words in your search query. Next to each newspaper title, you can see how many matching results there are for your search query in that publication.

Publication name filter: autocompletion of search queries (click to zoom)

Sorting ability for search results

We’ve also added new sorting capabilities when viewing search results on OldNews.com. From the search results page, click the new “Sort by” dropdown on the top right of the results. The default setting is to sort by relevance. You can also sort the results by publication date, either from oldest to newest, or newest to oldest. 

Sorting options for search results (click to zoom)

OldNews.com has only been around a short time and already it’s been enriched with valuable new content, including millions of recently added Nordic newspaper pages. An additional set of 1.7 million newspaper pages from Norway will be added in the next few weeks, and more content and product enhancements are on the horizon, so watch this space!