14,000 books and pamphlets about numerous subjects such as Australian poetry and literary criticism, English and Scottish poetry, Greek and Roman literature, Australian history, labour history and religion. Also includes personal papers of Pearce and other Australian writers.

Over 10,000 volumes and 1500 pamphlets in English, Latin, French, Italian, German and Spanish, with particular strength in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Charts, plans, coastal views, letters, books, pamphlets and books relating to Alexander Dalrymple.

911 water colours by Adam Forster of Australian flowers, painted between 1916 and 1927.

The National Library's Indonesian collection is the largest collection of Indonesian language material in Australia and one of largest contemporary collections in the world.

Japan Fellowships were awarded from 2006 until 2015 with the support of the H.S Williams Trust.

The Fellowships aimed to promote the Library as a centre of scholarly activity and research, and encourage the use and promotion of the Library's rich and varied collections. It supported 150 researchers until 2014 when it was replaced by the Fellowships and Scholarships program.

Selected by Jackie French, illustrated by Tania McCartney

The National Library of Australia is included in the Commonwealth Heritage List.

Peter Macinnis