MINNEAPOLIS, USA. May 26, 2021 –East View Information Services and the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) are pleased to announce Phase 2 of the groundbreaking Global Press Archive Charter Alliance (GPA CRL Alliance).

The GPA CRL Alliance is an academic-commercial partnership between the Center for Research Libraries and East View Information Services to expand open access to the world’s newspapers. With generous support from members, the GPA CRL Alliance has released five collections to date, with four more collections to come by mid-2022. These collections span the globe and will ultimately include over 4.5 million pages of content, of which 3 million pages are intended to be fully Open Access:

• Late Qing and Republican-Era Chinese Newspapers (Open Access)
• Middle Eastern and North African Newspapers (Open Access), plus Middle Eastern and North African Newspapers Premium (CRL-wide Access)
• Independent and Revolutionary Mexican Newspapers (Open Access)
• Imperial Russian Newspapers (Open Access)
• Coming soon: collections from Southeast Asia (Open Access), Latin America, and East Africa

Based on the positive feedback of members and endorsement of CRL’s committees, a campaign to raise funds for Phase 2 of the GPA CRL Alliance has been approved. Phase 2 will build on the distinctive Alliance partnership – combining the deep subject matter expertise of CRL member institutions with the business and production capabilities of East View Information Services. Moreover, Phase 2 marks the continuation of the Alliance’s mission to extend access to global newspaper collections to the widest possible audience.

Phase 2 of the GPA CRL Alliance will include an initial target of six collections, estimated to total 3 million pages after two years. As with the charter phase of the Alliance, regional and thematic collections will be determined by a CRL advisory committee, which then works with collection specialists to prioritize specific titles to reflect the needs of CRL membership.

“The GPA CRL Alliance has proven to be an innovative approach to library preservation and publishing. We are especially pleased to support the Alliance’s emphasis on Open Access content to ensure that these valuable historical resources are available to scholars the world over,” says Kent Lee, Founder and CEO of East View Companies. “The diversity of content coming from East View and CRL members has given this endeavor a truly global scope and has no doubt made a significant contribution to Digital Humanities scholarship. We look forward to continuing this successful partnership with Phase 2 of the GPA CRL Alliance.”

“The Global Press Archive CRL Alliance aligns closely with the principle of open accessibility and values of diversity, equity, and inclusion held by CRL and its member institutions,” says CRL president Greg Eow. “By bringing our expert community together with East View’s production capabilities and international reach with publishers, we have a unique opportunity to bridge the global and digital divide to make deep content accessible to scholars and citizens worldwide. We’re pleased to continue our collaboration with East View to advance innovative partnership models.”

CRL member institutions, as well as non-CRL members, will enjoy numerous benefits with participation. Opt-in or find out more information about the GPA CRL Alliance by sending an email to [email protected].