National Library of Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids National Library of Australia |
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| Type | Reference library |
| Scope | Commonwealth of Australia |
| Established | 23 March 1961 |
| Reference to legal mandate | National Library Act 1960 |
| Location | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Coordinates | 35°17′47″S 149°07′46″E / 35.29639°S 149.12944°E |
| Collection | |
| Items collected |
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| Size | 6.93 million items |
| Criteria for collection | Publications made available to the Australian public |
| Legal deposit | Digital and hard-copy Australian published materials |
| Other information | |
| Budget | A$57,800,000 (2015–16) |
| Director | Marie-Louise Ayres |
| Staff | 400 (2016) |
The National Library of Australia (NLA) is the biggest reference library in Australia. It used to be called the Commonwealth National Library. Its main job is to collect and keep all kinds of materials about Australia and its people. This makes it Australia's official national library. You can find it in Canberra, the capital city of Australia.
The NLA was officially started in 1960 by a special law. By mid-2019, it held over 7.7 million items. Its collection of handwritten documents (manuscripts) takes up about 18 kilometers of shelf space! The NLA also runs Trove, a popular online service. Trove helps people find old newspapers, official papers, photos, and more. It also includes the Australian Web Archive, which saves Australian websites.
Contents
How the National Library Started
In 1901, when Australia became a federation, the Commonwealth Parliament Library was created. Its first job was to help the new Australian Parliament. But right from the start, leaders wanted it to be more than just a library for politicians. They wanted it to be a library for the whole country.
In 1907, a special committee decided the library should become a "great Public Library." They imagined it would be like the famous Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Their goal was to build a library "worthy of the Australian Nation." It would be a home for literature from all over the world and from all times.
From 1923, the library started using two names at the same time. It was called the Commonwealth National Library for its national collection. It was also called the Commonwealth Parliament Library for its collection for politicians.
In 1957, a group called the Paton Committee suggested that the National Library should be its own independent body. This meant it would have its own rules and not be part of the Parliament's library anymore.
Finally, in 1960, the National Library Act 1960 was passed. This law officially created the National Library of Australia as a separate organization.
The Library Building
The first National Library building was on Kings Avenue, Canberra. It was designed by Edwin Hubert Henderson and built in 1934. The original plan was for a much larger building, but only one part was finished. This was partly because of World War II.
By 1957, it was clear the building was too small for a national library. It was later used as the main library for Canberra's public until it was taken down in 1968.
In 1963, Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced plans for a new, much bigger National Library building. The current library building opened on August 15, 1968. Prime Minister John Gorton officially opened it.
The building is in Parkes, Canberra. It was designed by the company Bunning and Madden. The style is called "Late Twentieth Century Stripped Classical." Inside, the entrance area (foyer) is decorated with beautiful marble. It also has colorful stained-glass windows by Leonard French. There are three large tapestries by Mathieu Matégot. Above the main entrance, you can see a copper sculpture called Lintel Sculpture by Tom Bass.
The building is so important that it was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List in 2004. This list protects important places in Australia.
Reading Rooms and Spaces
The large National Library building has many different areas for people to read and study. On the ground floor, you'll find the Main Reading Room. This is where most of the computers for internet access are. You can also use free wireless internet here.
Other special areas include the Newspaper & Family History zone. There's also the Special Collections Reading Room and the Petherick Reading Room on the first floor. On level 3, you can find the Asian Collections. These rooms help people access the library's vast resources.
What the Library Collects
The National Library collects many different types of materials. It focuses on anything made by Australians, for Australians, or about Australia. This includes books, magazines, newspapers, maps, and music. It also collects online publications and special items like handwritten letters (manuscripts), pictures, and recorded interviews.
For example, Hazel de Berg started recording interviews with Australian writers, artists, and musicians in 1957. She did almost 1,300 interviews! She worked with the library for 27 years, helping to create a unique collection of Australian voices.
The library also has a huge collection of books from other countries. It has special collections from Asia and the Pacific region. These add to the Australian collection. There's also a National Reserve Braille Collection for people who are blind or have low vision.
Because it's a national library, it has a special rule called "legal deposit". This means that publishers in Australia must send a copy of every new Australian publication to the library. This helps make sure everything published in Australia is saved.
By mid-2019, the library had over 7.7 million items. The collection about Australia is the most important source of materials about Australian culture. The library actively looks for works by Australian writers, editors, and illustrators. It collects their work whether it's published in Australia or overseas.
About 94% of the library's collection has been organized and listed. You can find these items using the library's online catalog.
Digital Collections and Online Access
The library is a leader in saving digital information. Since 1996, it has kept an online archive of selected Australian websites called the Pandora Archive. In 2019, the Australian Web Archive was launched. It combines Pandora with other Australian government websites and general Australian websites.
By June 2019, the library had made over 5.5 million images available digitally. Many of these can be viewed directly online.
Since 2016, a change to the Copyright Act means that all digital content published in Australia must also be sent to the library. Since May 2019, the NLA has run the National edeposit (NED) service. This service helps publishers send their digital books, magazines, and other items to the library easily. Other state libraries in Australia also work together on this service.
Asian Collections
The library has the largest collection of materials about Asia in Australia. It also has the biggest collection of books and resources in Asian languages in the Southern Hemisphere. There are over half a million items in this collection.
The library collects materials about all Asian countries in English and other Western languages. It also collects materials in many Asian languages. These include Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese.
The library has also bought many important collections from researchers and book lovers. These collections cover specific topics or regions in Asia.
Pictures and Manuscripts
The National Library has a huge collection of pictures and handwritten documents (manuscripts). The manuscript collection has about 26 million separate items. These items would stretch over 10 kilometers if laid out! Most of this collection is about Australia. But there are also important items about Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and the Pacific.
The Australian manuscript collection goes all the way back to the 1700s. This is when Europeans first explored and settled Australia. The strongest part of the collection is from the 1890s onwards.
Some very special items include:
- The journal of James Cook from his ship, the HM Bark Endeavour. This journal is so important it's on the Memory of the World Register.
- The diaries of Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills from their famous expedition.
- The flight log of Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm from their plane, the Southern Cross.
The collection also includes papers from many important Australians. These include politicians like Alfred Deakin and Robert Menzies. It also has papers from artists, writers, and other famous people. For example, the papers of Eddie Mabo, who fought for Indigenous land rights, are here.
The library also keeps records from many national groups. These include political parties like the Liberal Party and the A.L.P.. It also has records from groups like the Australian Ballet and the Australian Conservation Foundation.
The Pictures collection focuses on Australian people, places, and events. It covers everything from early European exploration to today. The library collects photos, drawings, paintings, and sculptures. These are chosen for the information they provide and their importance as historical records.
Ephemera Collection
The library has a large collection of "ephemera". These are small printed items that were not meant to last long. They include pamphlets, leaflets, invitations, cards, and even old menus. They also have larger items like theatre programmes and old store catalogs. These items are chosen because they show information, design, or what life was like at a certain time.
One special part of this collection is the Performing Arts ephemera collection (PROMPT). This includes items about famous performers like Nellie Melba and Kylie Minogue. Since 2017, volunteers have been using the PROMPT collection to add information to the AusStage database. This database helps people find out about Australian performing arts.
Services for Everyone
The National Library of Australia helps lead other libraries in Australia. It works with them to create online services. This makes it easier for people to find information across the country. The library offers services to publishers, librarians, and the general public. If you live in Australia, you can even become a member for free!
Here are some of the services:
- For Publishers:
* They help publishers get special numbers for their books and magazines (like ISSNs and ISMNs). * They run the National edeposit (NED) service. This is where publishers send their digital books and other items to meet the "legal deposit" rule.
- For Librarians:
* They manage the Australian National Bibliographic Database (ANBD). This is a huge list of books and other items in Australian libraries. Librarians use it to find resources and share books.
- For the Public (Online):
* The Australian Web Archive saves Australian websites. This includes the old PANDORA archive. * The National Library of Australia Catalogue lets you search for all the items held at the NLA.
Trove: Your Online Discovery Tool
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Many of the online services are available through Trove. Trove was launched in 2009. It's like a giant online search engine for Australian libraries. It brings together information from many major libraries in Australia.
Trove's most famous feature is its collection of old Australian newspapers. These have been digitized, meaning they've been scanned and put online. Trove helps you find information about Australia and Australians that you might not find with a regular internet search.
Publishing Books
The library also publishes its own books. These are non-fiction books and children's books. They explore the amazing collections held at the library. The topics include history, natural history, and art. NLA Publishing has even won awards for its children's information books.
Becoming a Member
Anyone living in Australia can sign up for a free membership with the library. Once you're a member, you get extra benefits. You can ask for items to be brought to you in the reading rooms. You can also access some special online resources from home, like the full text of Encyclopaedia Britannica. If you visit the library, you can even get books from other libraries through an inter-library loan.
Leaders of the Library
The person in charge of the National Library of Australia is called the Director-General. Here are some of the people who have held this important role:
| Number | Name | Job Title | Started | Ended | Years in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Wadsworth | Interim Commonwealth Parliamentary Librarian | 1901 | 1927 | 26 years | |
| 2 | Kenneth Binns | Commonwealth Parliamentary Librarian | 1927 | 1947 | 20 years | |
| 3 | Harold Leslie White | National Librarian | 1947 | 1970 | 23 years | |
| 4 | Allan Percy Fleming | 1970 | 1974 | 4 years | ||
| 5 | George Chandler | Director-General | 1974 | 1980 | 6 years | |
| 6 | Harrison Bryan | 1980 | 1985 | 5 years | ||
| 7 | Warren Horton | 1985 | 1999 | 14 years | ||
| 8 | Jan Fullerton | 1999 | 2010 | 11 years | ||
| 9 | Anne-Marie Schwirtlich | 2011 | 2017 | 6 years | ||
| 10 | Marie-Louise Ayres | 2017 | present | 8 years |
Supporting the Library
In 2016, there were worries that funding for Trove might be cut. Many people spoke up to support it. Because of this, the government promised $16.4 million in December 2016 to help Trove over four years.
By early 2020, more and more people were using online services. The National Library needed to manage this with fewer staff. So, it made some changes to its staff and how it operates.
Images for kids
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Original National Library building (1934), demolished 1968
See also
- List of national and state libraries
- National and State Libraries Australia
- Parliamentary Triangle, Canberra
- Parliamentary Library of Australia
