National Library of Australia
Parkes Place West, Parkes, Canberra, Australia Capital Authority, 2600
If you have a question about Australia, you’ll find an answer here. The National Library of Australia holds the world’s largest collection of “Australiana,” with more than 10 million items—from books, photographs, and newspapers to unpublished manuscripts and oral histories—in aid of its mission to document the Australian experience.
The basics
Browsing and reading the National Library of Australia’s collection is the main reason to visit this large reference library. Whether you’re looking for early accounts of colonial explorers or material on Aboriginal folklore, you can get help finding it and then sit down to read it in the Main Reading Room. The library also provides daily tours and hosts exhibitions in the Treasures Gallery that shine light on Australia’s culture and history.
Things to know before you go
To gain access to the library’s collection, you first need to get a library card (for Australian residents) or a temporary card (for overseas visitors).
Amenities at the National Library of Australia include a café, bookshop, self-service lockers, and free access to computers and Wi-Fi.
The library has ramp access on the building’s south side and automatic doors or open doorways throughout. The reading rooms are fitted with wheelchair-accessible desks.
Deliveries from collection storage are not available in the evening or on weekends, but you can order material in advance for the daytime.
How to get there
The National Library of Australia is a short walk from other popular attractions in the suburb of Parkes, including the High Court of Australia and National Portrait Gallery. Visitors can take the Nos. 2 or 6 bus from the City Interchange in the city center to the King Edward Terrace bus stop or drive to the library and park in the parking lot directly outside the building.
When to get there
When you visit the National Library of Australia will depend on whether you need staff assistance. If you have questions or need items retrieved from storage, visit on a weekday in the morning or afternoon. Otherwise, you’ll find that the library and its reading rooms are often quieter over the weekend.
What to see in the Treasures Gallery
The National Library of Australia hosts temporary exhibitions, but the central exhibition of the library is the Treasures Gallery. While some items in the Treasures Gallery get rotated out periodically, the gallery also has permanent highlights. One is the journal of Captain Cook from his time aboard the HMS Endeavour, upon which the navigator reached the east coast of Australia in 1770.
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