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LwMDB: Open Metadata for Digitised Historical Newspapers from British Library Collections

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
  • Kalle Westerling
  • Kaspar Beelen
  • Tim Hobson
  • Katherine McDonough
  • Nilo Pedrazzini
  • Daniel C. S. Wilson
  • Ruth Ahnert
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Article number32
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>6/05/2025
<mark>Journal</mark>Journal of Open Humanities Data
Volume11
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

The Living with Machines Database (LwMDB) represents one of the crown jewels of the Living with Machines project, showcasing the convergence of the project’s multiple newspaper-related datasets into a single, enriched resource for researchers interested in digitised British newspapers from the long nineteenth century. By combining British Library (BL) catalogue data, FindMyPast (FMP) metadata, and bespoke datasets such as WikiGaz and Mitchell’s Newspaper Press Directories, LwMDB enables an enriched view of digitised newspapers. Simplified CSV exports provide easy-to-use, reproducible access, while the database’s scalable architecture, built using Django and Docker, supports future iterations. In this way, LwMDB provides a foundation for humanities research made possible by powerful new metadata.