2Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Otsego County Library
Gaylord, Michigan
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Gaylord.
1903 to 2024Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
301,642Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Gaylord, Michigan.
Get to know Gaylord, Michigan in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Otsego County Library's digital archive. The archive includes Herald Times and Weekly Choice, with material from 1903 to 2024.
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Selected titles
A selection from Otsego County Library: “Herald Times” and “Weekly Choice”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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A closer look
A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue.
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 Herald Times and Weekly Choice through 301,642 digitized pages, with material from 1903 to 2024. A partnership between Otsego County Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
A family story or a question about a familiar place can lead somewhere unexpected. Browse the titles below and see which detail draws you in.
Herald Times
285,536 pages from 1903 to 2018
Weekly Choice
16,106 pages from 2018 to 2024
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About the Library
About The Otsego County Library
The Otsego County Library is dedicated to enriching the lives of community members by fostering lifelong learning, championing the joy of reading, igniting imaginations, and ensuring access to information and ideas. With a focus on supporting the educational, cultural, and recreational needs of its patrons, the library provides a welcoming environment for all. Through its extensive collection of books, digital resources, and programs, the Otsego County Library serves as a vital hub for learning, engagement, and connection in the community.
Library History
The History Of The Otsego County Library
Founded to serve the growing community of Otsego County, the Otsego County Library has grown over the years to become a vital resource for residents. With a mission to support lifelong learning and ensure access to information, the library offers a wide range of services and programs for all ages. The digitization of the Herald Times is part of the library’s ongoing commitment to preserving local history and making it accessible for future generations. The library continues to evolve and expand its offerings, ensuring that it remains an essential part of the community.
About the Community
About Otsego County, Michigan
Otsego County, located in northern Michigan, is known for its beautiful natural landscapes and strong sense of community. With a history rooted in agriculture and industry, the county has grown into a vibrant area with a mix of rural charm and modern amenities. The Otsego County Library plays a key role in preserving the area’s history and providing residents with the resources they need to learn, grow, and connect.
Local History
Did You Know?
Did you know that the Herald Times , one of the longest-running newspapers in Otsego County, has been documenting local news and events since 1903? This archive provides an invaluable record of the county’s history over the last century.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Compare accounts as you trace a story
Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Gaylord. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Otsego County 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. Use a report's date to look for earlier or later coverage where those issues are available. Compare what each account says and what it leaves out, treating a related mention as a lead rather than a complete history.
Compare each newspaper account with a nearby dated issue where available, noting what changes or stays consistent. Keep alternate versions and unresolved details visible rather than blending distinct sources into one story. Use those differences to frame a next question, not to settle the account before the sources support it.
Keep source details beside each quotation or observation. If accounts differ, preserve both references and note what remains unresolved. Let the evidence, rather than a smooth retelling, show where the sources agree and where the story is still open.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Otsego County 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
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.
May 7, 2025
Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
Preserving documents on microfilm has been a popular method of storage for many years, and it still holds many benefits today. Here…
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May 7, 2025
Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
In the quest to trace our roots and understand our heritage, obituaries often serve as a crucial starting point. Obituaries are undoubtedly…
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April 9, 2025
Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
Even the most esteemed police forces in the county encounter perplexing cold case files. These unsolved mysteries often leave investigators and genealogists…
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April 1, 2025
This Week in History: March 31st through April 6th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. This week in history, there is absolutely nothing to talk about… April Fools! April…
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March 24, 2025
This Week in History: March 24th through March 30th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. It has officially been a year since I started writing This Week in History,…
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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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