National Library of Australia

Sheet Music 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 aims to digitise all Australian sheet music in its collection. This includes sheet music created by Australians, published in, performed in, or otherwise associated with, Australia.

Progress as of 30 June 2008

Approximately 27% of the National Library’s Australian Sheet Music collection in scope for digitisation has been digitised. This amounts to 11 391 items, consisting of 99 733 images.

Examples of Sheet Music items already digitised

Future digitisation plans

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

Out of copyright sheet music will continue to be systematically digitised. A target of 860 items has been set for 2008-09. The next priorities include:

  • unpublished music scores (approximately 1 000 items, including 500 in the Symphony Australia collection and the Alfred Hill collection)
  • selective digitisation of music up to 1975 from the Manuscript Collection

Sheet 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 currently 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.

More Music

Other online resources

August Curator's Choice

A Tahitian warrior named Omai was enlisted as a crew member during Captain James Cook's second circumnavigation of the world. On Omai's arrival in London in 1774, he was welcomed into the highest social circles and his portrait was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. A rare sketch for this painting is held in the National Library collection and was recently featured in Betty Churcher's Hidden Treasures series, currently screening on ABC television.