Read Paywalled Newspapers Free With a Library Card

Many newspapers are paywalled, but public libraries offer a quick and legal work-around — if you know the path. Most public library websites have a gateway to newspapers and magazines, and access for card-holders tends to renew every few days. But every library administrator and every e-resource platform can set its own rules. A library card is not a blanket pass.

Route to the newspapers

The first place to look is the library’s own page of e-resources or newspapers, usually listed under “Books, Movies & Audio” or something similar. Log-in prompts typically accept the number or barcode on the back of the card, though some systems need a second PIN for access. The search path can vary, so check the library’s main service or help page for exact instructions:

• On its “eCollections” page, Auckland Council Libraries says it’s enough to enter the Auckland card number. Members get an option to “join online for free … for immediate access” if they are not card-holders.
• The LA County Library site says patrons need a card number and PIN, entered on the PressReader homepage. Access is then “free, unlimited”.
• Cornwall Council is another example of libraries that report step-by-step directions.

PressReader and similar platforms

Most libraries do not just subscribe to individual newspapers, but to newspaper aggregators, and the most common example is PressReader.

PressReader works on web and smartphone: the platform lists an app for iOS devices, an app for Android, plus a listing in the Apple App Store. All three report 4-5 Star ratings and millions of downloads, but with complaints that the sign-in process requires a new login code at the start of every new reading session.

The complaint does not seem to affect households that buy their own PressReader subscription, but library card accounts can also need to log in at an interval, such as the 30-day pass reported by Cornwall Council.

The charge-per-subscription system seems to encourage renewals: when reading abroad, PressReader’s Traveler’s Library wants a $19-29 one-time fee to use the service for at least 24 hours. By comparison, card access to PressReader is often free in the library, sometimes free from any broadband connection, and — where permitted — free to anyone who registers at the card-holder’s local branch.

What access usually looks like

Passes are almost always free, but not always unlimited.

PressReader says its own website now supports readers in over a hundred countries, in 60 languages — though “checking back frequently is (still) an excellent idea” to validate access. National Library Board Singapore has published rules requiring patrons to accept ads and revisit the platform from an NLB network. In the United States, some library accounts have read-aloud function disabled.

Each library sets its access terms. Cornwall has no clear requirement that users be library members, and also discounts eBook rentals.

In Los Angeles, the LA County Library reports that the card number, PIN, and an internet-connected device grant access to “thousands of newspapers and magazines”, with address recommendations for users to get a foothold. But even the library can limit its own offers. Cornwall Council’s house-issue copies are the only copies a borrower can read, a policy shared by some Singapore titles.

How to get in if you do not have a card

Read access and free membership are not the same thing, and libraries sometimes restrict the option to those with a permanent address or residency card. However, many libraries let non-residents join their own account, with members rights, simply by registering online. Note that this does not guarantee entry to every library’s newspaper subscriptions, but it makes the reader a card-holder, which is the first step.

Do those memberships make it easy to read The New York Times or Wall Street Journal free of charge? It depends:

• Auckland has 2,000 newspapers, but the Times and Journal weren’t catalogued in the public listing.
• In Los Angeles, the card gives remote access to the Times, Journal, Washington Post, New York Post and Daily News. Spokane, at the other extreme, reports access to The Journal, but “for in-library use only”.

When both the library and the publisher grant remote access to a premium title, members usually get to use it for around 24 hours, 72 hours or 7 days — and can start a new session whenever the session ends.