National Library of Australia - Digital Collections - Pictures

Help

Through this service you can access images of resources (pictures, photographs, drawings, paintings, etc) in the National Library of Australia's Pictures Collection or order copies of material that has not yet been digitised.

Screens have been optimised for browsers which support standards. You will still be able to use the service on older browsers but you will need to upgrade to a new browser to make the most of the site.

Citation

At the top of each page you will find brief details of the resource being accessed. Use this information to cite the resource correctly if you use it in your research.

To provide a link to the page in your citation use the citation details located at the bottom of the page:

For example: page citation

Use the Full record link below the brief details to see a full description of the resource.

Navigation

Use the navigation options on the page to explore the details and context of the image you have selected.

Navigation bar

Various options will appear in the bar (below the brief details and at the bottom of the page) depending on the nature of the resource you are accessing.

Up and Down Arrows

Up and down arrows may appear on the left end of the navigation bar. Use these to navigate up to a higher level or down to a lower level in the resource hierarchy; for example, from a item in a collection to the full contents listing for the collection:

  • up a level go up one level e.g. from page to whole item
  • down a level go down one level e.g. from collection to first item in the collection

Breadcrumbs

A 'breadcrumb' trail under the navigation bar reflects the hierarchy of the resource you are accessing:

For example: breadcrumb trail

Select the links within the breadcrumb trail, and the browser to take you to that place in the hierarchy.

Single items

Accessing a single item will take you straight to a view copy designed to fit in an 800x600 screen and print on an A4 page.

Multipart items

Accessing a multi-part item will take you to a thumbnail display. Select View to go to the view copy of the first part or select any thumbnail to go to the view copy for that part.

To move between parts select the required page from the drop down list and press Go. Alternatively, use the four arrows next to the drop down list:

  • first arrow jump to first part
  • previous arrow go back to previous part
  • next arrow go to next part
  • last arrow jump to last part

To go back to the thumbnail display use the Up arrow or the 'item' link in the breadcrumb trail.

For large items, thumbnails and parts will be presented 20 at a time to keep download times to a minimum. To move between sets select the required set from the drop down list and press Go. Alternatively, use the four arrows next to the drop down list:

  • first arrow jump to first set
  • previous arrow go back to previous set
  • next arrow go to next set
  • last arrow jump to last set

Tiles

Sometimes a page in an album will be digitised in sections because there is more than one picture on a page. You will know that a page has been 'tiled' in this way because a down arrow will appear in the navigation bar. Use the down arrow to drill down to the separate images for each picture and the up arrow to move back up to the whole page again.

Collection items

If you access an item in a collection the brief details will contain a link to the collection, an Up Arrow will appear in the navigation bar and the breadcrumb trail will also contain a link to the collection. To display a full list of the contents of the collection select any of these options.

To view other items in the collection, use the 'Browse other items in this collection' arrows that appear under the brief details:

browse collection

collections

Accessing an item in a collection will take you to a full list of the contents of the collection.

Accessing a collection will take you to a full list of the contents of the collection, with thumbnails for digitised items. Select the link on the title to access an item in the collection.

For large collections, items will be presented 20 at a time to keep download times to a minimum. To move between sets select the required set from the drop down list and press Go. Alternatively, use the four arrows next to the drop down list:.

  • first arrow jump to first set
  • previous arrow go back to previous set
  • next arrow go to next set
  • last arrow jump to last set

restricted items

A generic thumbnail will display if access to a resource is restricted. Use Contact Us to find out more about the nature of the restriction.

Undigitised items

A generic thumbnail will display if a resource has not yet been digitised.. Use Order to order a copy through Copies Direct.

Email

The 'Email' button allows you to send a link to the current page to an email address you enter.email

Order

You may save or print images from the Digitised Picture Collection for research and study. Where copyright permits, you may also order copies of images through the National Library of Australia's Copies Direct Service. This is a commercial service and a fee will be charged for copy provision.

Some items available through this service may still be in copyright. While the National Library may be able to assist with referrals to copyright holders, responsibility for ensuring copyright requirements are met rests with you.

Search

'Search' allows you to do a creator / title search of the Pictures Catalogue. For more advanced search capabilities use the Pictures Catalogue itself.search

Contact us

Please provide us with your feedback, comments and reports of any problems you experience using this service. Email us using the online form on our Contact Us page, and be sure to include your email address if you require a reply.

Requests for research assistance should be directed to the Library's Information Services staff.