ORONO — More than 5,000 issues of the University of Maine’s student-run newspaper, the Maine Campus, are now available online. Patrons can search the 130-year archive and download complete issues from anywhere in the world through Digital Commons at UMaine, an online repository managed by Raymond H. Fogler Library.

The online archive is the result of a digitization project by the Special Collections Department at Fogler Library. With digitization complete, the text of every issue is now searchable, allowing patrons to quickly locate topics, authors, headlines or other keywords.

“The Maine Campus is a valuable resource for the university and the state,” said Richard Hollinger, head of Special Collections at Fogler Library. “Digitizing the archive has already had an impact on researchers, alumni and the general public.”

Launched in the late 1800s, the Maine Campus remains one of the oldest continuously operating newspapers in the state. Through Digital Commons, patrons can read complete issues dating to August 1885. Stories in the archive span a diverse range of topics, from local events to coverage of national issues. The variety of stories and time periods represented in the archive provide a valuable resource for anyone studying history in the region. Individual issues of the newspaper also reflect broad social and cultural issues affecting the country.

To view the Maine Campus archive, visit digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu. The digitization of the Maine Campus was funded through the generous gift of the Paul R. and Polly N. Camp Quasi-Endowment Fund for the Fogler Library.