What We Collect

Dance

See also: Find Dance | Using the Collection

The National Library collects unique Australian dance resources across a broad spectrum of dance styles. The aim is to support the preservation of dance materials, to document dance in Australia, and to provide access to dance-related information for all Australians.

Dance material held at the National Library can be found in several collection areas. These areas include

The web service Australia Dancing highlights dance resources held at the National Library and in other institutions. This service brings together varied and dispersed resources in one searchable interface.

Dance-related material at the National Library includes:

  • Personal papers
  • Oral histories
  • Pictures
  • Ephemera
  • Notated dance scores
  • Sound recordings of folk dance music
  • Other materials that support the research and study of Australian dance

Digital access to the Dance Collection

To improve access for all Australians, the Library is committed to producing digital copies of historically significant Australian dance materials and to archiving new electronic dance resources. The Australia Dancing service also aims to improve access to dance information and documentation by integrating information from many sources in a single search interface.

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