National Library of Australia

River red gums

Explore the National Library's digitised collections

To provide users with easy online access to some of Australia’s most significant cultural materials, the National Library digitises selected items in its collections. We invite you to discover our digitised collections.

Explore the Australian story through captivating pictures, rare historical maps, early Australian printed music, manuscripts belonging to famous Australians, selected printed works from our Australian and overseas collections, and selected audio recordings of our oral history and folklore items.

To find out more about the Library's digitisation strategy and progress so far read Digitisation - overview and the individual collections' progress reports for Pictures, Maps, Manuscripts, Printed Music, Books & Serials and Audio.

The significant milestone of 100 000 digitised items from the Library's Pictures Collection was reached in November 2007. The 100 000th digitised picture was Jeff Carter's photograph Orphaned joey wearing a winter overcoat made from an old sweater sleeve. Overall, a total of 134 228 collection items across all collection formats have been digitised as of 30 June 2008.

More on digitised collections

Other online resources

November Curator's Choice

This image was recently identified as the only known vintage print of Roald Amundsen's expedition party honouring the Norwegian flag after arriving at the South Pole. Part of Tasmanian views, Edward Searle's album of photographs of Australia, Antarctica and the Pacific, 1911-1915.