The origins of the National Library of Australia go back to the early years after Australian Federation in 1901, when the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library served both Federal Parliament and the nation.

Our collection originated with the formation of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library in 1901.

The National Library houses the largest and most actively developing research resource on Asia in Australia, with holdings of over half a million volumes.

The Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP) started in 1948 as a partnership between the National Library of Australia, the State Library of New South Wales and The National Archives of the UK.

Hear from NLA Fellow Dr Gwyn McClelland about his research and time at the Library.

The major official sources of Australian colonial statistics are available on microform as part of the ABS Colonial Microfiche collection.

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Historian Dr. Jennifer Wellington explores the similarities and differences of commemorative ceremonies in Australia with the rest of the world and unpacks the question of whether what we are commemorating is based in truth or myth.

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Military historian, Dr. Aaron Pegram, explores the experience of Australian men and women across the 4 year conflict.

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Preserved in the National Library of Australia’s Manuscripts Collection, along with Cook’s handwritten journal, are another set of instructions.

Albums and pieces of sheet music published in Australia and overseas, around 2700 books and pamphlets, mostly related to Western music, manuscript scores, papers from some composers and orchestras, and personal papers of Kenneth Hince.