Whether it’s breaking news, daily crossword puzzles or the latest in sports and lifestyle, Northwestern students, faculty and staff can access it all through The New York Times subscription provided for free by NU Libraries.
“Sometimes a professor might say, ‘Oh, take a look at this in The New York Times,’ and (students) didn’t have access,” Geoffrey Morse, the interim head of the Distinctive Collectives and Research Services Department, said. “We wanted to make it easier for students to get all the content that we didn’t have before.”
The initiative went into effect in June 2024, driven by student interest that Morse said he received from the user community. The service is available to anyone who has an active NU NetID and password.
NU users currently have access to ProQuest, a third-party database that gives access to historical content from major U.S. newspapers going as far back as 1851, including texts from the Times. However, it does not include some features that many students wanted, including popular Times-original games, which the Times subscription provides, Morse said. He added that students were purchasing the subscriptions on their own to have access to these services.
“I think it’s nice to provide access to the games and stuff people like too,” Morse said. “It’s not all hard work and study.”
Some of the Times sections members of the NU community can access include News, Audio, Games, Cooking, Wirecutter and The Athletic. The subscription offers content through both the Times website and its mobile apps.
NU Libraries also provides a similar subscription to The Wall Street Journal where activated accounts receive access to its site and app, as well as newsletters, The Journal Collection and deals on products and services.
Weinberg sophomore and Co-Chair of the Associated Student Government Analytics Committee Roberto Borsetti said conversations with students suggested that access to the Times addressed both their personal and academic needs, noting that the Times checks different boxes for students than The Wall Street Journal.
To gauge this, the ASG Analytics Committee surveyed students about their usage of the Times in spring 2024. The survey data revealed that 26% of students had paid access to the Times, while more than 75% had been assigned readings from the site during their time at NU. Borsetti explained that while they were planning for a proposal to discuss the results, they discovered that the initiative was already being funded by NU Libraries.
“By providing free access, Northwestern has taken a significant step in leveling the playing field and ensuring that all students, regardless of their financial background, have the resources they need to succeed academically,” Borsetti said.
Weinberg sophomore Kate Balinsky described herself as a subscriber to the Times’ games “since forever” and shared that while she used to pay out of pocket for the feature, she was excited to discover she could access it for free through the University.
Balinsky added that her NU-provided subscription has expanded the ways she engages with the Times, especially with features she hadn’t previously explored.
“I have the app on my phone now too, so I tend to actually read news articles, or I get daily updates in my inbox, and I wasn’t subscribed to it before I found out that it was free,” Balinsky said. “I’m reading more news now than before because it’s available to me.”
Similarly, when Communication junior Alexander Morgan discovered the Times subscription through the school, he said he became interested in playing the games after seeing his classmates play them. Morgan said he “join(ed) in on the fun,” and quickly became addicted to the Times games.
Borsetti explained that the Times subscription allows students to stay informed, take breaks and discover new passions, whether it’s reading the news, solving a crossword or trying a new recipe. He added that it’s a resource that supports students in both their academic and personal pursuits.
“Having a full New York Times subscription really enables a student to take their own authority in their actions and authority in exploring their own interests,” Borsetti said.
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