Over 6000 books, pamphlets and journals mainly related to Australian history and politics, as well as personal papers and a significant number of British and American imprints.

Books on music and printed music published in Britain from the mid-17th century to the 20th century.

4000 books, 6000 pamphlets and sets of 40 periodicals published between about 1620 and 1940, including the works of the major English, Scottish and Irish political economists and writers. 

About 360 titles, particularly strong in first editions of English poetry and novels published in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century.

Pamphlets, tracts and leaflets published in Britain and Ireland between 1770 and 1976 that describe, debate and criticize the political, economic, social and religious affairs, divisions and conflicts in Ireland.

About 7600 music scores and albums, mainly piano and vocal works published in France, Britain, Germany, Austria and Italy in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

Personal papers and about 600 books and pamphlets from 1900-1960 on international relations, political biography, migration and more with a focus on the Commonwealth and United States. 

About 4000 books, mostly published in France in the 19th and early 20th century, as well as a number of German, Italian, Latin and Greek books.

About 6200 books about European literature, history and culture, mostly published in the period 1880-1960. 

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

Over 3,000 printed pamphlets, leaflets and issues of periodicals, mostly published 1900-1970, plus a collection of microfiche and microfilm of other publications, produced by left-wing parties and organisations in the period 1961–88.

British Parliamentary publications are valuable primary sources for research into British and dominion history, including Australia.