Asia-Pacific

Epi (Vanuatu) cultural dance group performing at Saralana Park, 27 July 2023. Photograph courtesy of Melanesian Arts & Culture Festival 2023

Visiting Vanuatu and the Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival 2023

Library staff recently attended the Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival (MACFEST), returning with new acquisitions, knowledge and connections.

Blog

2021 National Library of Australia Fellow Dr Anna Dziedzic

Early constitutions: A new wave of governance

Hear from Dr Anna Dziedzic about her experience as a 2021 National Library Fellow and her research about the movement of constitution texts and ideas across Oceania.

Blog

Dancers wearing tradition lion costume performing for Chinese New Year. There are two lions, one red and one yellow, with two people in each costume. Behind them stand spectators and a drummer

Jiayuan Liang, Chung Yee Tong Lion Dance Team performing lion dances, Chinese New Year, Chinatown, Adelaide, 2022, nla.obj-3125334254

Chinese collection

The Chinese collection of the National Library is a rich source of information on the history, culture and current affairs of China.

Information article

Sara Joynes, Graeme Powell and Margaret Phillips, AJCP Project Team, 15 January 1992.

Australian Joint Copying Project research guide

The Australian Joint Copying Project is a collection of historical material relating to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific dating from 1560 to 1984.

Research guide

Front cover of journal with a red native flower drawing

SU Smith, B Stevens and CL Jones, Art in Australia, 1916 nla.gov.au/nla.obj-350986084

Robinson Collection

387 books, mostly related to Australia, but also several works on New Zealand and the Pacific. It is strong in accounts of the exploration of Australia and Pacific voyages.

Collection guide

Kern Collection

950 books on bibliography, history, law, religion, ethnography, archaeology and fine arts of Indonesia, 629 books relating to the languages of Austronesia and some manuscripts, including transcripts of a collection of Sudanese manuscripts.

Collection guide

Frank Hurley and Masly Williams looking towards Jerusalem

Frank Hurley, Frank Hurley and Maslyn Williams Looking Out Over the Kidron Valley Towards Jerusalem, Mount of Olives, Palestine, 1940?, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151339245

Hurley Collection

Over 10,000 black and white negatives and colour transparencies, about 1000 exhibition prints, several photograph albums, a group of stereographs, plus maps, diaries and personal papers.

Collection guide

Shelves containing books and journals and a picture of a man in a boat looking at birds that sit on the sides of the boat

History of the Asian collections

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

Information article

Coedès Collection

Books, pamphlets, reprints and single issues of serials, mainly in French, relating to the ancient history, archaeology and culture of Southeast Asia.

Collection guide

Okamura Collection

667 books and periodical issues in English relating to Japan published between 1856 and 1942. The subject range is broad, including history, biography, religions, politics, literature, folklore, fine arts, gardening sports and more.

Collection guide

Ferguson Collection

Over 32,000 items, including rare books, pamphlets, maps, and ephemera, covering topics such as Oceania, transport, and literature. Compiled by Sir John Alexander Ferguson, it is a key resource for Australian history and bibliography.

Collection guide

Friend Collection

Explore the artistic legacy and complex history of Donald Friend through diaries, letters, and personal papers.

Collection guide

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