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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Kelley Library

Salem, New Hampshire

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Salem.

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2Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1968 to 2010Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

98,968Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Salem, New Hampshire.

Get to know Salem, New Hampshire in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Kelley Library's digital archive. The archive includes Observer and Salem Observer, with material from 1968 to 2010.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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  • Selected titles

    The titles shared by Kelley Library include “Observer” and “Salem Observer”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    An earlier generation comes into view through the stories its newspapers chose to report, placing familiar names and events within the concerns of their time.

Historical newspapers can connect a family name with the events and everyday concerns of an earlier time, offering more than a date or a name on its own. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Explore Observer and Salem Observer through 98,968 digitized pages, with material from 1968 to 2010. A partnership between Kelley Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Every search for the past starts with a question. Explore the titles below, follow the sources that speak to it, and see what new detail appears.

Observer

3,748 pages from 1983 to 1984

Salem Observer

95,220 pages from 1968 to 2010

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About the Archive

About the Kelley Library's History Archives

The Kelley Library offers free access to historical resources through its digital archives, provided in partnership with Advantage Archives . These archives include digitized collections of historical newspapers, available to the public for free. The Kelley Library has digitized thousands of pages, allowing patrons to explore Salem’s local history.

Kelley Library photo 1

About the Library

About the Kelley Library

The Kelley Library serves as a hub for education, culture, and history in Salem, New Hampshire. It offers a wide range of services, including access to print and digital collections, community programming, and resources that support lifelong learning. The library provides a welcoming environment for all community members and strives to meet the evolving needs of the town.

Library History

The History of the Kelley Library

Founded to enrich the lives of Salem residents, the Kelley Library has a long tradition of serving as a center for education and cultural engagement. It has grown to incorporate modern technologies while preserving local history through initiatives like the digital archives.

About the Community

About Salem, New Hampshire

Salem is a historic town with a rich heritage and a vibrant community. Its history is documented in various collections housed at the Kelley Library, offering residents and visitors a glimpse into its past.

Local History

Did You Know?

  • Salem is known for its deep historical roots, and the library actively works to preserve these through its digitization projects.
  • The library continues to expand its collections, ensuring access to both historical and contemporary resources for all community members.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Keep publication context with a finding

Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Salem. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Kelley Library to follow that question into the historical record. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story. Note the newspaper title, issue date, and page for a useful report. Compare another account where available, and keep differences in timing or perspective visible rather than blending them into a single version.

Save the newspaper title, issue date, and page, then compare another dated account where available. Keep differences in timing and perspective visible so the source context is not lost. If the accounts disagree, record what each source supports and use the difference to shape a further search rather than smoothing them into one version.

A research trail is most useful when it leaves room for what is not yet known. Record the title, date, and page or item reference where available, along with what remains uncertain and which question you want to follow next. Those details help keep a possible connection from becoming an unsupported conclusion.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Kelley Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.

Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.

Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.

Learn about partnerships
Read All About It

Stories, research tips, and archive news

Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.

Newest published articles

March 18, 2025

It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?

We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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