Manx National Heritage announce that digital access to the Newspapers Online archive through iMuseum.im will cease from 12 October.
For more than a decade, over 150 years of newspapers have been available digitally through iMuseum, providing an important resource for researchers, family historians, students and the wider public.
The digital newspaper service relies on specialist software and server infrastructure which have now reached the end of their operational life and are no longer supported. As a result, Manx National Heritage is unable to continue providing the service through iMuseum in its current form.
Manx National Heritage has been exploring options to address these technical challenges. Despite these efforts, a sustainable and affordable solution that would enable the existing service to continue has not yet been identified.
Importantly, the digital newspaper archive has not been lost. Manx National Heritage continues to hold and preserve the underlying digital data, while the original newspapers remain safe and secure within the national collections.
Manx National Heritage is reviewing its wider digital infrastructure and exploring opportunities to develop sustainable, secure and cost-effective solutions that can support online access to its diverse collections in the future.
The change affects only the online newspaper archive. Access to more than one million other records currently available through iMuseum will continue as normal.
Researchers can also continue to consult the Newspapers Online archive at the Manx Museum Library & Archives, where the newspapers are available on microfilm. The Library & Archives is open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm.
Manx National Heritage thanks users of the newspaper archive for their understanding while options are reviewed and plans are developed for the future digital access and preservation of these important historical resources.