About the Collection

First published in February 1888, The Vidette was a subscription-based newspaper that served as source of news for both the campus and the town of Normal. The Vidette later dropped its subscription service in 1915 when it received university funding through student fees. The paper has changed its publication frequency through the years, at various times publishing weekly, semi-weekly, and daily. Originally published as The Vidette, the paper has changed its name over the years including Vidette, Daily Vidette and returning to its original moniker in January 2013. As of August 2017, The Vidette publishes twice a week during the fall and spring semesters and bi-monthly during the summer.

The Vidette Newspaper Archive at Milner Library is a library supported effort to bring the university’s long-running student paper to a larger audience. Through the efforts of the Milner Library’s Digital Collections department and in cooperation with Veridian, the first seventy five volumes of The Vidette have been digitized and made available for research with plans for adding more volumes of the newspaper at a later date. Patrons wishing to view the newspaper in person can visit Milner Library to research the microfilm copy or contact the Dr. Jo Ann Rayfield Archives to make an appointment to view the paper format.

Why are some articles missing from the 1980s issues?
These issues contain licensed content created by news agencies such as United Press International (UPI), College Press Service (CPS), and the Associated Press (AP). The agencies retain the copyright for these articles and have not given permission for them to be republished online. Paper and microfilm copies of all issues of The Vidette as they originally appeared in print are available for in-building use at Milner Library. To request unredacted digital format pages for personal research purposes, please fill out a digitization request form.