Research | National Library of Australia (NLA)

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Research guides

Two old books titled 'Ordinances of Fiji'

Indian emigration passes to Fiji 1879-1916

Find out how to access over 60,000 emigration passes for indentured labourers between 1879 and 1916.

A black-and-white photo of a family posed outside a brick house with a white picket fence. In the foreground, a man in a bowler hat sits beside a large dog, while a young girl stands nearby. A seated woman holds a baby on her lap, and a child is visible on the steps of the house in the background. The garden surrounding them is filled with overgrown plants.

Portrait of Oliver Barberie and family, 1900, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136621963

Family history research guide

Uncover hidden stories of your heritage and trace your genealogy using our research guide.

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Research programs

2023 National Library of Australia Fellow Dr Tets Kimura sits at a library desk examining a large open book filled with swatches of fabric or coloured paper. They have dark hair and wear glasses and a navy blue shirt. Next to them on the desk is a wooden box with more books in it.

Fellowships and scholarships

Celia Craig, a woman with very short brown hair, smiling and holding large book of sheet music with the title 'Symphonic Overture'

Research outcomes and presentations

Collection guides

Mabo Collection

Personal papers and legal material that record of one of the most important and controversial legal cases in Australian history and the life of the man who is chiefly associated with the case.

De Vesci Collection

Country house library collection of 1648 books and 54 serials with strength in English and French publications of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries

Willis Collection

One of the largest oral history collections in Australia with recordings of over 900 individuals in all States, as well as folk groups, singing groups, bands and choirs.

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Tools and resources

Man and woman smiling as they are being greeted and having questions answered at the front information desk in the Library foyer

Where to start

Join your National Library

A blurred figure walking through a series of open shelving units at the Library. The shelves are lined with books, and the perspective creates a tunnel effect as the shelving repeats into the distance.

Introduction to the collection

Using the collection

Woman pulling material from a cubby in the Specials Collections Reading Room

Using the special collections

Pile of letters from the Records of the Australian Federation of Women Voters

Records of the Australian Federation of Women Voters 1920 - 1983, nla.obj-245104655

Using the Manuscripts Collection

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