Mostly Australian and New Zealand sheet music, the majority from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries collected by Charles Begg.

Discover the legacy of Don Banks, one of Australia’s most innovative composers, in the Don Banks Collection. Featuring music manuscripts, sound recordings, and personal papers, this collection celebrates Banks' pioneering work across jazz, classical, and film music. A true trailblazer, his fusion of genres continues to inspire and shape Australia's cultural landscape.

Enter the musical world of seventeenth and early nineteenth century Britain with rare prints, books and manuscripts.

The J.C. Williamson Ltd archives include a wide range of materials, such as business records, playscripts, libretti, music, programs, magazines, books, costume designs, and photographs. It also contains personal papers from Williamson's business partners, the Tait family and George Tallis.

Read about Creative Arts Fellow Celia Craig's experience of exploring the papers of musician Miriam Hyde.

There’s no business like show business, and this exhibition brings Australia’s performing arts history into the limelight.

Searching for the 18th-century character in the Library's rare books and music collections.

Explore the crossover of two masters of their crafts with these beautiful sketches and designs.

Explore the dance style of Gertrud Bodenwieser through photographs with 2023 National Library Fellow Wesley Lim.

The Library has a diverse collection of materials documenting the history of Australian musical performance.

We hold one of Australia’s largest collections of performing arts materials.

Our collections document the history and development of dramatic and comic theatre in Australia.