Yesterday, the Guardian Digital Archive was launched in England, allowing users online access to the full text of The Guardian from 1821 to 1975 and its sister paper The Observer from 1900 to 1975. The second phase, which will launch early next year, will add on years of The Observer from 1791 to 1899, and both papers from 1976 to 2003. Timed online subscriptions are available for a fee - from a 24-hour pass for £7.95 to a one-month pass for £49.95. Passes are on sale for approximately 50% off until the end of November, and there is a free 24-hour option as well. If your library subscribes to the Proquest Historical Newspapers series, then you may just have free access available to you that way!

Searching the archive brings up individual articles that match your search criteria, but also makes it easy to browse the entire newspaper edition from there....a fun way to gain a little insight into what was going on in the world at the time. You can also search each newspaper separately, or both together.

This is the first major release of a national UK newspaper archive online, although the London Times is available to members of subscribing libraries, and can also be accessed online by individuals through the Godfrey Scholars subscription program. About one million pages of searchable text from 46 regional UK newspapers (dating back to 1800) also went online last month with the launch of the British Library Newspapers Web site, but online access is currently limited to members of subscribing libraries.

The press release from the launch of the Guardian Digital Archive mentioned a free 24-hour access pass in November, but some entrances to the Guardian Web site makes no mention of it. To access the free trial option, enter ARCHIVEFREE in the discount code box and you'll receive a free 24-hour access pass (during November 2007 only). This gives you a great chance to see what's available before making a monetary committment. Alternatively, click on the "Introductory Offer" ad in the lower-left hand corner of this Guardian and Observer Digital Archive page.