[13] The database is searchable by key terms, state, language, time period, or newspaper.
[6] The project describes itself as a "long-term effort to develop an Internet-based, searchable database of U.S. newspapers with descriptive information and select digitization of historic pages.
"[15] Local participants in the project receive two-year grants to scan approximately 100,000 newspaper pages, primarily from microfilm.
[15][18] For newspapers that are not digitized, the website directs users to library locations that are known to have the desired records available.
[3][16] The first series of newspaper digitization was completed with input from universities in 2007, and included public domain entries from six states and the District of Columbia.