The California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC) is a freely-available archive of digitized California newspapers; it is accessible through the project's website. The collection contains over six million pages from over 50 million articles. The project is part of the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research (CBSR) at the University of California Riverside. Due to funding issues, the website went offline in September 2025. , the website was operational. As of January 2026, the CNDC has become more stable in terms of technology and funding, and has resumed a couple projects associated with the National Endowment for the Humanities that were disrupted and suspended.
History The Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research was one of six initial participants in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), a newspaper digitization project established from a partnership between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Between 2005 and 2011, the CBSR received three two-year grants, and contributed around 300,000 pages to Chronicling America, the public face of the NDNP. The CDNC announced that they restored their relationship with National Digital Newspaper Program in January 2026.
Published newspaper titles submitted include the San Francisco Call, Los Angeles Daily Herald, Amador Ledger, and the Imperial Valley Press. In 2015, the CBSR received a fourth grant from the National Digital Newspaper Project. Between 2015 and 2017, the project contributed another 100,000 pages from the Gold Rush era, as well as foreign-language newspapers.
The California Digital Newspaper Collection was officially launched in 2007, and contained the initial 100,000 pages produced for the National Digital Newspaper Project from 2005 to 2007. In 2008, the CDNC was selected as a recipient of the Larry L. Sautter Silver Award for Achievement in University Computing.
Another 50,000 pages were created, with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), administered in California by the State Librarian. All content contributed to NDNP is also hosted in the CDNC, with important differences, noted below in Digitization.
Between 2007 and 2013, the CDNC digitized roughly 300,000 pages through the LSTA program, administered by the California State Library. In 2014, the project announced a five-year plan, supported by LSTA, to digitize one title per county, up through 1923.
In 2010, the CDNC initiated the "Born Digital Project", with the goal to collect and host contemporary PDFs from newspaper publishers. Roughly a dozen publishers have participated in the project.
, the CDNC gets 150,000 unique monthly online visitors from academics, amateur historians, genealogists, schoolteachers, et al.
In January 2025, the CDNC was notified that California was withholding their annual appropriation of $430,000 for their 2024–2025 budget. In April 2025, CDNC director Brian Geiger said they needed to raise at least $300,000 to keep the archival site operational, and if they were unable to raise the funds, there is the possibility the site could go offline. The state budget cuts are a result of the national budget cuts to libraries. In July, UCR announced that state and federal funding had been restored and Daryle Williams, dean of the UCR College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences issued a statement, dated July 11, saying “UCR is actively working on a sustainable model for the CDNC to continue to be available to the public. Effective July 1, 2025, the Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research functions under the direct oversight of the Office of the Dean within the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS).” However, CBSR staff members had all been laid off on June 27. Geiger expressed confusion at the dean's statement. “There's really no CBSR there anymore,” he said. Operations were suspended July 1, 2025. The last progress update was posted August 13, 2025. In mid-September (Sept 14–22) the CDNC website was offline. , the website was operational.
Digitization The California Digital Newspaper Collection follows standards established by the National Digital Newspaper Program. Microfilm or newsprint is scanned to create TIFF images; whenever possible, master negative film is used. The CBSR manages an archive of approximately 100,000 reels of negative film. These are stored and maintained by the California Newspaper Microfilm Archive. When negative film is unavailable, positive can be used, but image quality and OCR will not be as good.
The TIFF images are then processed or "digitized" to create derivative files, including a JP2, PDF, and METS/ALTO XML for each page.
Unlike NDNP, the CDNC has traditionally digitized to article-level rather than just page-level. Individual "segments" on a page—articles, illustrations, advertisements, etc.—are identified during digitization and can be retrieved by the researcher. For an illustration of the difference between page- and article-level, compare the San Francisco Call in the CDNC to the same title in Chronicling America.
Recently the CDNC has begun digitizing some titles to page-level, but most are still article-level. The main advantage of page-level is lower cost when done in an automated fashion, without human input.
With the CBSR staff layoffs at the end of June 2025, it was not clear if any of the digitization projects that was put on hold would ever resume without finding new funding sources. By January 2026, with more stable funding, Williams reported the CDNC is not currently taking new projects as they work on finishing up projects that were suspended, especially projects associated with the National Endowment for the Humanities focused on African-American newspapers from the Los Angeles and Bay areas. Williams did not rule out adding new digital content in future but confirmed that it is not an immediate priority. There are more than 50 million pages of digitized newspaper pages in the archive, with 20-plus million pages that are currently searchable.
Papers covered
Adin Argus (Adin, 1882–1937) Alameda Encinal (Alameda, 1869–1906) Alameda Post (Alameda, 1869) Alturas Plaindealer (Alturas, 1906–1940) Amador Ledger (Jackson, 1855–1919) Antelope Valley Political Observer (Palmdale, 2010–2012) Aptos Post (Aptos, 1981–1983) Atwater Signal (Atwater, 1911–1934) Auburn Daily Journal (Auburn, 1914–1918) Auburn Journal (Auburn, 1885–1924)
Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco, 1971–2005) Beach and Bay Press (San Diego, 2007–2010) Belvedere Citizen/Eastside Journal (Los Angeles, 1968–1980) Big Pine Citizen (Big Pine, 1914–1933) Black Voice News (Riverside, 2006) Blade-Tribune (Oceanside, 1892–1960) Blue Lake Advocate (Blue Lake, 1888–1969) Boulevard Sentinel (Eagle Rock, 2012–2015)
Calaveras Chronicle (Mokelumne Hill, 1851–1868) Calexico Chronicle (Calexico, 1904–1998) California Aggie (Davis, 1915–2014) California Crusader News (Los Angeles, 2010) California Farmer and Journal of Useful Sciences (San Francisco, 1855–1880) California Star (San Francisco, 1847–1848) California Star & Californian (San Francisco, 1848) The Californian (Monterey, 1846–1848) Campus News (East Los Angeles College; Monterey Park, 2008–2019) Central News Wave (Los Angeles, 1971–1972) Chester Progressive (Chester, 1955–1957) Chico Record (Chico, 1856–1948) Chico Weekly Enterprise (Chico, 1869–1907) Chula Vista Star-News (Chula Vista, 1989–2008) Citrus College Clarion (Glendora, 1964–2023) Cloverdale Enterprise (Cloverdale, 1919) Cloverdale Reveille (Cloverdale, 1882–1996) Coast Side Comet (Montara, 1910–1923) Columbia Gazette (Columbia, 1853–1858) Columbia Weekly News (Columbia, 1858–1859) Colusa Daily Sun (Colusa, 1892–1922) Colusa Herald (Colusa, 1916–1932) Contra Costa Independent (Richmond, 1910–1939) Coronado Citizen (Coronado, 1937–1942) Coronado Compass (Coronado, 1946–1949) Coronado Eagle (Coronado, 1990–1998) Coronado Eagle & Journal (Coronado, 1912–2018) Coronado Mercury (Coronado, 1887–1896) Coronado Saturday Night (Coronado, 1922) Coronado Tent City Daily Program (Coronado, 1903) Corsair (Santa Monica, 1929–2011) Crenshaw-Mesa Southwest wave (Los Angeles, 1941) Crónica (Los Angeles, 1872–1889) Cypress Enterprise (Buena Park, 1948–1952)
Daily Alta California (San Francisco, 1849–1891) Daily California Express (Marysville, 1857–1959) Daily Evening Sentinel (Red Bluff, 1895–1905) Daily morning times (San Jose, 1879–1884) Daily National Democrat (Marysville, 1858–1861) Daily National Gazette (Grass Valley, 1853–1860) Daily News (Los Angeles, 1923–1954) Daily News (Van Nuys, 1930–1960) Daily News Leader (San Mateo, 1889–1924) Daily Placer Times and Transcript (Sacramento, 1849–1850) Daily Sentinel (Red Bluff, 1894) Daily Sentinel (Red Bluff 1883; 1892–1893) The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, 1934–1993) Dunsmuir news (Dunsmuir, 1890–1978)
Eagle Rock Advertiser (Eagle Rock, 1928–1935) Eagle Rock Sentinel (Eagle Rock, 1910–1985) Eastside Journal/Belvedere Citizen (Los Angeles, 1968–1980) El Clamor Público (Los Angeles, 1855–1859) El Dorado Republican (Placerville, 1901–1923) El Paisano (Whittier, 1964–2016) El Patio (Coronado, 1920–1921) El Sereno Star (Los Angeles, 1953–1974) Elevator (San Francisco, 1865–1898) Empire County Argus (Coloma, 1853–1856) Enterprise Journal (South San Francisco, 1972–1979) Enterprise-Record (Chico, 1940–1970) Evening Index and San Bernardino News (San Bernardino, 1912–1918) Evening Sentinel (Santa Cruz, 1896–1907) Evening Star News (Culver City, 1944–1952) Evening Telegram and the Evening Index (San Bernardino, 1969) Evening Transcript (San Bernardino, 1898–1902) Evening Vanguard (Los Angeles, 1939–1960) Experience (Pittsburg, 1974–2015) Express (Sacramento, 1923–2009)
Facts (Redlands, 1890–1892) Feather River Bulletin (Quincy, 1866–2002) Fort Bragg Advocate (Fort Bragg, 1890–1929) Fresno Tribune (Fresno, 1907–1912)
Garden Grove News (Garden Grove, 1959) Georgetown News (Georgetown, 1854–1856) Geyserville Gazette (Geyserville, 1899–1918) Geyserville Press (Geyserville, 1940–1964) Golden Gate Guardian (San Francisco, 1941–1946) Greens Land Paper (San Francisco, 1872) Gridley Herald (Gridley, 1972–1985)
Hanford Journal (Daily) (Hanford, 1898–1922) Hanford Journal (Weekly) (Hanford, 1891–1905) Hanford Sentinel (Hanford, 1901–2004) Healdsburg Enterprise (Healdsburg, 1878–1929) Healdsburg Tribune (Healdsburg, 1919–1937) Healdsburg Tribune, Enterprise and Scimitar (Healdsburg, 1888–1990) Highland Park News-Herald & Journal (Highland Park, Los Angeles, 1906–1988) Highland Park Post-Dispatch (Highland Park, Los Angeles, 1941–1942) Highlander (Riverside, 1954–2020) Hispano América (San Francisco, 1914–1917) Hollywood Riviera Tribune (Palos Verdes Estates, 1948–1967) Humboldt Times (Eureka, 1874–1925) Huntington Beach News (Huntington Beach, 1917–1918) Hydraulic Press (North San Juan, 1858–1861)
Imperial Valley Press (Imperial, 1901–1911) Independent (Los Angeles, 1936–1946) Indian Valley Record (Greenville, 1931–1962) Inyo Independent (Independence, 1870–1942) Italia (San Francisco, 1897–1919)
J. The Jewish News of Northern California (San Francisco, 1895–2024)
King City Rustler (King City, 1901–1936)
LA Downtown News (Los Angeles, 2011–2017) LA Evening Citizen News (Hollywood, 1944–1949) La Habra Star (La Habra, 1916–1966) La Jolla Light (La Jolla, 1922–1963) La Jolla Light and La Jolla Journal (La Jolla, 1919–1964) La Jolla Village News (San Diego, 2007) La Jolla Village News Readers Choice Awards (San Diego, 2009) La Porte Union (La Porte, 1868–1869) LA Weekly (Los Angeles, 1978–1999) Lariat (Mission Viejo, 1968–2016) Lassen County Times (Susanville, 1978–2000) Liberator (Los Angeles, 1901–1913) Lincoln Heights Bulletin-News (Los Angeles, 1964–1974) Lindsay Gazette (Lindsay, 1912–1980)