Readex Creates Archive of Americana.

This article reports that Readex has announced the creation of a Web-based Archive of Americana as of December 2004. It will feature fully text-searchable facsimile images. This resource, comprising four major primary source collections, provides online access to printed record in the U.S. The cornerstone of the Archive of Americana is Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, based on Charles Evans' American Bibliography. This collection contains nearly every book, pamphlet, and broadside published in the U.S. from 1639 to 1800. Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker continues the Evans bibliography and includes books, pamphlets, and broadsides published in the U.S. between 1801 and 1819. Complementing Early American Imprints is Early American Newspapers (1690-1876), based on Charles Brigham's History and Bibliography of American Newspapers. The largest collection of its kind, Early American Newspapers presents cover-to-cover reproductions of rare newspapers and issues. The fourth collection in the Readex Archive of Americana is the U.S. Congressional Serial Set (1817-1980) with American State Papers (1789-1838). Revealing events as they unfolded and decisions as they were made, these volumes of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives also include color maps, illustrations, and non-congressional publications.