National Library of Australia

Manuscript digitisation - progress so far

Selecting material for digitisation  

General selection criteria for the National Library’s digitisation program can be found in our Collection Digitisation Policy.

The Library selectively digitises items from its Manuscript Collection. Manuscripts are chosen for digitisation based on their historical and/or cultural significance, research potential, and the uniqueness of, and likely demand for, the material. Copyright, access restrictions and preservation considerations are also taken into account. Due to their extensive size, most Manuscript collections are not usually digitised in their entirety; instead, individual items or parts of collections are selected for digitisation.

A number of significant Manuscript collections have been digitised in collaboration with research partners, including the Alfred Deakin, Ballets Russes, and South Seas projects.

Progress as of 30 June 2008

8 930 items, consisting of 50 443 images digitised.

Examples of Manuscript collections already digitised

Our approach to the digitisation of manuscripts is constantly evolving and the variations in the examples below reflect this ongoing development. In keeping with our current policy, most of the following collections have only been partially digitised.

Future digitisation plans

Selective digitisation of items in the manuscript collection will be undertaken for inclusion in the Treasures Gallery.

Only a fraction of the Manuscript Collection is expected to ever be digitised. This is due to its extensive size (estimated at 12 kilometres in 2007) and complexity, and the fact that copyright in unpublished materials is perpetual, requiring permissions to be sought from hundreds or even thousands of individuals associated with a single collection.

More Manuscripts

Other online resources

July Curator's Choice

This score was published in 1908. The score is for voice and piano, with chorus. The Library has digitised other patriotic music by W. R. Furlong, including Australians of Australia and Uphold the sports of our land.