There are a number of free websites and subscription databases containing biographical information about well-known Australians.

Key resources are:

• Australian Dictionary of Biography from the National Centre of Biography - over 10,000 scholarly articles on famous Australians, compiled by the Australian National University.
• Digitised biographies - includes online versions of other scarce and out of print sources of Australian biographical information.
• Obituaries Australia - digital repository of obituaries published in newspapers, journals, magazines and bulletins. It includes obituaties for prominent and less well-known Australians.
• Australian Women's Register - biographical information on Australian women and the organisations in which they are involved.
• Design and Art Australia Online - biographies of Australian artists (including colonial artists, women artists and Indigenous artists.
• Who's Who in Australia - register of prominent Australians, searchable by name as well as occupation. It includes Who's Who in Business and Who's Who of Australian Women. Visit our eResources portal and search for this database under the Browse eResources tab. The print edition of Who's Who in Australia dates back to 1927.
• Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation - biographical information on Australian scientists.
• Dictionary of Australian Biography - a historical resource, first published in 1942. It contains biographies of notable Australians who died before 1942.
• It's an Honour - a searchable register of recipients of an Australian honour.

Most of these resources are accessible freely online or can be accessed by registered users of the National Library from home.

Featured databases

You can access these databases by visiting our eResources portal and searching for each resource under the Browse eResources tab.

• The Australian Chronicles : An Index to Sources of Australian Biography
  Use this to locate biographical information on as wide a range of Australians as possible. This database is only available in the Library building.
• AustLit
  A very useful resource for finding biographical information on Australian authors. You can also obtain complete lists of works published by an author. Registered users of the Library can access the full version of this database from home.

Database search tips

Many databases allow you to either search or browse their articles. Try searching for the surname of the person or browse the list of entries under a particular letter.

If you are having trouble using a database, check out their help pages.

The Library has a growing collection of resources related to Australian Indigenous people.

• Bringing Them Home Oral History Project - is a collection of 340 interviews recorded with indigenous and non-indigenous Australians on the Stolen Generations.
• Eddie Mabo papers - an example of the personal papers of indigenous leaders contained in the Manuscripts collection.
• Aboriginal Tent Embassy ephemera - an example of ephemera material (pamphlets, posters, stickers etc) collected by the Library.
• Albert Namatjira - an example of the resources in our print collection about the artist Albert Namatjira.
• Mura Gadi - an online guide to the manuscripts, pictures and oral history material on Indigenous Australians in the collection. This is an archived guide, and is not maintained.

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Studies (AIATSIS) contains significant resources relating to Indigenous Australians.

Hazel De Berg, Portrait of Dick Smith taken during an oral history interview, 8 April 1983, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-146145221

The Library's Oral History collection contains interviews with a broad range of Australians from the distinguished to people who have lived through significant social events and conditions.

You can search for these recordings in the catalogue. Narrow your search to 'Audio' to find oral history material.

The Library's Manuscripts collection documents the lives and activities of people and organisations. The collection contains letters, diaries, book drafts, drawings, logbooks, and maps.

You can search for these papers in the catalogue. Narrow your search to 'Manuscript' to find material.

I am writing a biography on the Australian poet Edward Harrington. What information is available on him?

We can start by searching likely databases for entries on Harrington e.g. Australian Dictionary of Biography and AustLit. For AustLit, visit our eResources portal and search for the database under the Browse eResources tab.

It is always useful to search the catalogue to see if the Library has any items relating to Harrington. A Catalogue search for "Edward Harrington" shows that we hold a portrait of him, a biographical cuttings file and an oral history recording by him.

It is a good idea to check his published works to see if any biographical information is included in his writings.

We can then search the Trove newspaper database to find articles that mention Harrington.

If Harrington was involved in any organisations, such as a poet's society, searching for the organisation may provide some useful background on his life and activities.

Databases

These databases are available to registered users of the Library. You can find them by visiting our eResources portal and searching for the database under the Browse eResources tab.

• Dictionary of National Biography
  A database provided by Oxford University Press. It includes entries on people who have influenced British history.
• Times Digital Archive 1785-1985
  A searchable database of The Times newspaper. A useful resource for searching newspaper articles to find biographical information.

Database search tips

Many databases allow you to either search or browse their articles. Try searching for the surname of the person or browse the list of entries under a particular letter.

If you are having trouble using a database, check out their help pages.

Online resources

• London Lives 1690-1800
  A free online collection of primary sources from archives in London. It documents the lives of Londeners in the eighteenth century.

• Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
  A free online database containing information on famous New Zealanders. 

• Dictionary of Canadian Biography
  A free online database containing articles on Canadians who died before 1930.

Yasuji Inoue, (1889), Kyōdō risshiki, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151493817

The Library's Asian Collections are a vast collection of English and Asian language material covering East and Southeast Asia.

If you are searching for someone who is less well-known, you can search newspapers and other contemporary sources to find information. This might include family notices, advertisements for businesses, or reports or accidents or court appearances.

• Trove Digitised Newspapers provides access to digitised copies of major daily and some regional newspapers from first publication to 1954. Try searching on variations of the person's name or including a description of what they are known for, for example, Alvin Higgs.
• Google News Archive provides coverage of the Melbourne Age from 1854 to current and the Sydney Morning Herald from 1831 to 1989.
• Sydney Morning Herald Archive covers the newspaper from 1955-1995. This database is also found in our eResources portal with a search under the Browse eResources tab.
• Biographical cuttings files: from the late 1960s until June 2000, the Library maintained biographical newspaper clippings files. These contain cuttings, e.g. articles and obituaries, from Australian newspapers and journals. For example, see Canon Arthur Reginald Mace, former clergyman

The Trove People and Organisations category allows you to search across library collections and databases. The zone includes:

• Short biographies of famous people, a list of related people and related resources. For example, see the entry for Lachlan Macquarie
• Information on organisations related to Australia, such as the Ballets Russes, which lists resources published by and about the organisation.

You can also find information on organisations by searching the catalogue. Begin by searching for the name of the organisation.

For example, a search for the 'Australian Conservation Foundation' can be narrowed to include only manuscript or audio material. Use the 'Limit Your Search' options on the right to limit your search.

By selecting these formats, you can find organisational records and papers or recorded interviews with key conservationists involved in the Foundation.

If the person you are researching was involved in an organisation, you can search these records to find more information about their life and work.

These records consist of:

• Published material by the organisation such as reports, books and articles
• Unpublished manuscript papers and records of the organisation
• Ephemera material, such as flyers and posters

Search tip

You can contact organisations in which the person worked, volunteered or gave support.

Search for the organisation's details on the Internet or in the Yellow Pages.

Nostalgic photographs collection

The photograph below is part of the Bruce Howard collection and the collection: Nostalgic Australian photographs. Title based on information in Great Australian book of nostalgia / John Larkins and Bruce Howard.

John Larkins, Woman sitting on a fallen mountain ash log at an office picnic excursion, Healesville, Victoria, 1922, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-141690822

Featured website

Obituaries Australia is a digital repository of obituaries about Australians, and those who have made an impact on Australian history, published in newspapers, journals, magazines and bulletins.

Family history

If you are looking for information related to family history research, see our Family history research guide.

Case study 1

I think my great grandfather belonged to the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows. He was a member of Lodge No. 71 at Illawarra (New South Wales) in around 1909. How can I find information about his involvement in the organisation?

We can start by searching the Library catalogue for items relating to this organisation.

The Library has only one published work for the organisation in this period: Manchester Unity Magazine of New South Wales (1909-1910). This is a collection of monthly issues, which include reports of Lodge meetings, elections, community activities and member news.

Although not every member of a Lodge is mentioned, we can get an idea of how members contributed to the organisation.    

For example, a member from the Illarwarra Lodge sent a photograph to the Magazine to share news of their members' involvement in a  community event; it can be found in The Manchester Unity magazine of New South Wales, vol.1, no.1, 1909: 1.

Case study 2

I would like some biographical details about W.J.Rooney, sometime principal of Claremont Teachers College Perth

We first need to search the catalogue for material related to Rooney. A search of his name was unsucessful, but a search for "Claremont Teachers' College" found some published material.

A brochure in the ephemera collection includes details on the dates when Rooney was principal of the College (1904-1927). These dates are useful for conducting further searches.

We could try searching Trove to find historical newspaper articles about Rooney. As we know his rough dates and location (Perth), we can do an advanced search to limit our search results to Western Australian newspapers between 1904 and 1927.