Support the National Library’s 2025 Tax Time Appeal

The National Library is asking for donations to help digitise their Antarctica collections

Published on 26 May 2025

Media release

With the help of the Australian public, the National Library of Australia hopes to shine a spotlight on our Antarctica collections.

Australia has been exploring and studying Antarctica for over a century. Australian researchers and explorers have mapped uncharted territory, documented new scientific discoveries, and established a presence in Antarctica that still plays an important scientific role in 2025.

As climate change continues to manifest, understanding the changes that have occurred in the Antarctic environment over the past century will be crucial for our future. Bringing these collections online through Trove will help to build that understanding.

National Library Director-General, Dr Marie-Louise Ayres FAHA

As director of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE) from 1949 to 1966, Phillip Law mapped over 5000 km of Antarctic coastline. In 1961, Phillip Law's wife, Nel, joined his Antarctic expedition, becoming the first Australian woman to set foot on the continent. The National Library is proud to hold their papers, which include diaries, correspondence, hundreds of photographs, and Nel's artworks.

The National Library's rich collections hold many untold stories from Australia's history in Antarctica. We continue to transform access to Australian culture and history by sharing our physical collections online through Trove. We bring more than a million pages of new content online every year.

The appeal closes on 30 June. To support digitisation of the Library's Antarctica collection, please visit 2025 Appeal: Antarctica Collections.