Reference Collection
Subject index

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - JK - L - M - NO - P - Q - R - S - T - UV - W - XYZ

The National Library maintains an extensive open access reference collection, available in the Main Reading Room, consisting of encyclopaedias, dictionaries, travel guides, biographies, company information, and many other works of reference.

The Reference Collection is arranged on the shelves in the Main Reading Room numerically by Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC). Each row of shelving has a label which provides a summary of the DDC numbers in that row.

This subject index will assist you to locate relevant reference tools in this collection. The listing is arranged alphabetically by topic and provides a pointer to the Dewey number(s) most appropriate for finding references works on your topic. Some major reference works are also included and listed by title.

A

Subject/Title Dewey
Accounting 657
Acronyms/abbreviations (General) 423 and 060.148
Acronyms/abbreviations ( Journals and periodicals) 050.148
Agriculture/animal husbandry 630+
Airline/shipping/railway guides 385 - 387
Almanacs/quick facts 032
Animals 590 - 599 and 630+
Anniversaries, national holidays 394
Annual bibliography of English language and literature 820.16 ANN
Anthropology 301 and 305.8
Antiques/collectables 740 - 749
APAIS (Australian Public Affairs Information Service) 1952-2000 016.3 (1978+ available online)
Archaeology 913 and 930
Architecture 720 - 729
Arts 700 - 709 and 750 - 759
Arts - biography 709 and 759.2
Arts - dictionaries and encyclopaedias 703
Arts, Australian 709.94
Associations/organisations guides 060 - 068
Associations, Australian 068.94
Associations, A.C.T. 068.9471
Astronomy 520
Atlases (see also Atlas cabinet outside the Interview Room in the Main Reading Room) 911-912 (Further atlases are held in the Map Reading Room on LG1 floor)
Australian Dictionary of Biography 920.094 AUS
Australian government publications 015.94 and 328.94 / See also GovPubs
Australian National Bibliography 015.94
Australian Periodicals in Print 011.34
Australian politics 320.994+ / See also Australian Politics and Government: Print Resources at the National Library of Australia
Australian Rules Football 796.336+
Automobiles 629.2
Aviation 629.13
Awards/prizes/grants 001 .4+

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B

Subject/Title Dewey
Ballet 792.8+
Banks and Banking 332.1 - 332.6
Bible 220+
Biography (see also each subject area) 920+
Biography - Australian 920.01 WHO and 920.094 / See also Australian Biography: Print Resources at the National Library of Australia
Biology 570 - 579
Birds 598.2+
Book Price Guides 018.3
Book Review Digest 015.73
Book review indexes 001.3, 015.73 and 028
Book trade/publishing 655
Books in Print (Australian) 015.94 (Also available as ANZBIP database)
Books in Print (British) 015.42 WHI
Books in Print (Canadian) 015.71 CAN
Books in Print (French) 015.44 LIV
Books in Print (German) 015.43 VER
Books in Print (Indian) 015.54 IND
Books in Print (International) 017.8 INT
Books in Print (Italian) 015.45 CAT
Books in Print (United States) 015.73 PUB
Botany 581+
British Library Catalogue On separate shelves on the "Treasury" side of the Library building
British National Bibliography 015.42
British parliamentary publications 328.42 / See also British Parliamentary Publications and Information
Building 690
Business/Commerce 650 (See also Companies 332 - 338)
Business Periodicals Index 650.016
Business management 658

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C

Subject/Title Dewey
Canberra - history etc. 994.7
Cars 629.2
Charities/Foundations 001.4 and 361.7
Chemistry 540 - 549 and 660 - 669
Chess 794.1+
Children's Books in Print 028.52
Choice 1964-1996 339.405 (1997+ request through catalogue. For current issues ask at Information Desk)
Chronologies/dates 909
- Australian 994 .002+
Churches - directories 280 - 286
Clocks and watches, antique 681 and 739
Coins 737
Collectables/antiques 740 - 749
Colloquialisms/slang 427.9+
Commerce/Business 650+ (See also Companies 332 - 338)
Company guides and information 338.4 - 338.8 and 332's / See also Australian Companies: Print Resources at the National Library of Australia
Computing 001 - 005 and 651
Constitutions of countries, territories etc. 342.008
Contemporary Authors 809 CON
Contemporary Literary Criticism 809.04 CON
Cooking 640 - 642
Costume/fashion 391
Crafts 745
Cricket 796.358
Criminology 363 - 364
Current Biography 920.01 CUR

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D

Subject/Title Dewey
Dance 792 - 793
Defence/Military 355-359, 622 and 629
Demography 310+
Design 745.2 - 747
Dewey classification -guides 025.431
Dictionaries - English 420 - 429
Dictionaries - Bilingual 440 - 499
Diplomacy/Foreign Affairs 327
Drama 809.2 (See also Theatre 792 - 793)
Drug/medicine guides 615

E

Subject/Title Dewey
Earth sciences (Geology etc.) 550 - 551 and 622
Economics 330 - 339
Education 370 - 379
Elections etc. 324+
Electoral rolls Held in Newspaper/Microform Reading Room. / See also Australian Electoral Rolls: Print Resources at the National Library of Australia
Electronics 621
Encyclopaedia Britannica 031 (Also available online)
Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia 994.0049915 E58 (Also available online)
Encyclopedias (General) 030's
Engineering 620 - 629
Environment 304.2, 333+, 363.7, 574.5+ and 628.5
Ethics 170 - 179
Etiquette/protocol 395
Etymology (origins of words and language) 422+
Europa Yearbook 314 EUR
European Union statistical publications 314+

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F

Subject/Title Dewey

Family history/genealogy

929 (Many family history reference works are held in the Newspaper/Microform Reading Room).

Fashion/Costume 391
Fauna 590 - 599
Film/television 791 - 792
Fishing 799.1
Flora 580 - 589
Fodor's travel guides 914 - 919
Folklore/mythology 398
Food/nutrition 641 - 642 and 664
Football (all codes) 796.33+
Foreign affairs 327

G

Subject/Title Dewey
Games 796
Gardening 635
Gazetteers (place names) 910+
Gazetteers - Australian 919.4+
Geography/travel 914 - 919
Geology/Earth Sciences 550 - 551 and 622
Golf 796.352
Government/Politics 320 - 329
Government directories 352 - 354
Government publications - Australia 015.94 and 328.94 / See also GovPubs
Gray's Anatomy 611 G779
Groves Dictionary of Music... 780.3 N532
Guidelines 1969-1998 011.34
Guinness Book of Records 032.02 GUI

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H

Subject/Title

Dewey
Halsbury's Laws of Australia 349.94 H196 (Also available online)

Health

610 - 615 and 362

Heraldry

929.7+
Historical Records of Australia 994 HIS
Historical Records of Victoria 994.5 HIS

History

900 - 909 and 930 - 999

History - Africa

960 - 969

History - Americas

970 - 989

History - Asia

950 - 959

History - Australia

994 / See also Australian History: Print Resources at the National Library of Australia
History - Canberra 994.7

History - Europe

943 - 949

History - Great Britain

942
History of Australia (Manning Clark) 994 CLA

Horticulture/gardening

632
Hotels/Accomodation 387.05, 647+ and 919.4

Human rights

323.4 and 341.481

I

Subject/Title Dewey
Industrial relations 331 and 344.01
International law 341
International organisations (yearbooks) 341.1058 and 341.2625
Inventions 608 - 609

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J

Subject/Title Dewey
Janes guides (Defence/Military) 623 and 629
Jazz 781.65
Journal titles - abbreviations and lists 050.148

L

Subject/Title Dewey
Language/linguistics 400 - 499
Law 340 - 349 / See also GovPubs
Law - Australian - guides, encyclopedias 349.94
Laws of Australia 349.94 (Also available online via Firstpoint)
League of Nations 341.22+
Legislation - Australia - Consolidated Acts 1900-1973 345.94 / See also AUSTLII
Legislation - Australian Capital Territory 345.947 / See also AUSTLII
Leisure/recreation 790
Librarianship 020 - 029
Library Catalogues
- British Library On separate shelves on the "Treasury" side of the Main Reading Room
- Mitchell Library On separate shelves on the "Treasury" side of the Main Reading Room
- National Union Catalogue Pre 1956 Holdings (North American Libraries) On separate shelves on the "Treasury" side of the Main Reading Room
Library guides 026 - 027
Life sciences/medicine 610 - 619
Lingustics 400 - 410
Literature (general) 800 - 809
Literature - American 810 - 819
Literature - English/Australian 820 - 829 / See also Australian Literature: Print Resources at the National Library of Australia
Literature - Other Languages 830 - 899
Lonely Planet travel guides 914 - 919

M

Subject/Title Dewey
Management 650 - 658
Maps (see also Atlas cabinet outside the Interview Room in the Main Reading Room) Atlases held. 911-912 (Further atlases and more detailed maps are held in the Map Reading Room on LG1 floor)
Marketing 658.8
Mathematics 510
Medals 355.13 and 737.22+
Media guides 070 and 302
Medical dictionaries 610
Medicines/Drugs 615
Meeting procedure 658
Military/defence 355 - 359 and 622
MIMS (Australian drug/medicines guide) 615 MIM
Mitchell Library Catalogue On separate shelves on the "Treasury" side of the Main Reading Room
Mottoes 080
Museums 069 and 708
Music 780 - 789
Music - popular 781.63+
Mythology 291 and 398

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N

Subject/Title Dewey
Names, Personal 929.4
National Union Catalogue Pre 1956 Holdings (North American Libraries) On separate shelves on the "Treasury" side of the Main Reading Room

O

Subject/Title Dewey
Olympics 796.48
Opera 782.1+
Orders and medals 355.13, 737.22+ and 929.71
Ornithology (birds) 598.2+
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 920.041 D554 (Also available online)

P

Subject/Title Dewey
Painting 750 - 759
PAIS - Public Affairs Information Service Cumulative subject index 1915-1974 011.34
Parapsychology 133
Parliamentary handbooks (Australian) 328.94 AUS
Parliamentary papers, indexes -Australian 328.94 / See also GovPubs
Parliamentary papers, indexes - British 328.42 / See also British Parliamentary Publications and Information
Peace studies 327
Periodical titles - abbreviations and lists 050
Philosophy 100 - 140 and 160-199
Phone books Current Australian issues on shelves on the "Treasury" side of the Main Reading Room
Photography 770 - 779
Phrases/cliches 423.1
Physics 530 -539
Pinpointer 1963-1987 011.34
Place names/gazeteers 910.3
Place names - Australian 919.4+
Plants 580 - 589
Play Index 808.82016
Poetry indexes 808.81
Political Parties 329+
Politics/government 320 - 329
Polls, public opinion 303.3
Population/Demography 304.6+ and 310+
Pottery/porcelain 738
Press directories 070 and 302
Printing 686
Proverbs 398.9
Psychiatry 150 - 159 and 616
Psychology 150 - 159
Public Administration 350 - 354
Public opinion polls 303.3
Publishers - lists 070.5 and 655.44

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Q

Subject/Title Dewey
Quotations/sayings 080 - 082 and 808
Quick facts, almanacs etc. 032+

R

Subject/Title Dewey
Railways 385
Reference book guides 011.02
Religion 200 - 299
Religion, comparative 290 - 299
Roget's Thesaurus 423.1 R732
Rugby league 796.33+
Rugby union 796.33+

S

Subject/Title Dewey
Sayings/quotations 080 - 082 and 808
School directories 373
Sciences - general dictionaries 503
Sciences - Pure 500 - 599
Sciences - Applied 600 - 699
Sculpture 730
Shakespeare 822.33+
Shipping 387
Short Story Index 808.83016
Sign language 419+
Slang/colloquialisms 427.9+
Soccer 796.33+
Social issues 305 - 309 and 360 - 369
Social work 361
Sociology 301
Sports/games 795 - 799
Stamps 383 and 769.56
Statistics - general 310 - 319 / See also Statistics: Print Resources at the National Library of Australia
Statistics - yearbooks, Australian 319.4+
Statistics, Australian - economic 330.99400212 MON
Stock market 332.642+
Street maps (Australian) 919.4+ / See also Map Reading Room
Style Manual (Australian government) 686.2252
Surnames 929.4+

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T

Subject/Title Dewey
Taxation/tax guides 336.2+ and 343.94+
Technology 600 - 609 and 670
Telecommunications 384
Telephone directories See Phone books
Television (See also Media guides) 791.45
Tennis 796.342
Textiles 677
Theatre 792 - 793
Theses - indexes 015.94075 / See also Theses: Print Resources at the National Library of Australia
Tourism 790
Town planning 710 - 719
Trade 380 - 382
Transport 385 - 387
Trade directories 380 - 382
Travel guides 914 - 919
Treaty guides 341.026

U

Subject/Title Dewey
UNESCO Yearbook 370.058
United Nations publications 341+ / See also United Nations: Print Resources at the National Library of Australia
United States Congressional documents/hearings indexes 328.73 / See also United States Congressional Publications and Information

W

Subject/Title Dewey
Whitaker's Almanack 032.02 WHI
Who's Whos 920's
Who's Who - Australian 920.01 WHO
Wine 641.22
Women's studies 301.4 and 305.4
World of Learning 378 WOR
World War I and World War II 940.3 - 940.5

Y

Subject/Title Dewey
Yearbooks (Statistical) 314-319
Yearbooks (Statistical) - Australian 319.4+

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