General selection criteria for the National Library’s digitisation program can be found in our Collection Digitisation Policy. The Library aims to digitise all Australian printed music in its collection. This includes printed music created by Australians, published in, performed in, or otherwise associated with, Australia.
Approximately 29% of the National Library’s Australian Printed Music collection in scope for digitisation has been digitised. This amounts to 12 050 items, consisting of 105 475 images.
Selective digitisation of items in the Music collection will continue to be undertaken for inclusion in the Library’s forthcoming Treasures Gallery. Out of copyright printed music will continue to be systematically digitised. The next priorities include:
Printed music which still in copyright may be able to be digitised and made accessible through this website, based on a licence fee or an e-commerce solution. The Library is working towards such an arrangement with agencies representing copyright owners. If this approach is successful, digitisation of the whole collection can be completed by 2020.
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.