Due to scheduled maintenance, the National Library’s online services will be unavailable between 8pm Friday 29 November and 11am Saturday 30 November. Find out more.
You can access a range of current and historical newspapers online for free through the National Library of Australia. These include:
Early historical newspapers
- View 16th to 19th century papers from the United Kingdom and American titles.
- Many titles can be accessed from home via eResources but first you will need to join the Library.
Early Australian newspapers
- Visit Trove to view Australian newspapers published between 1803 and 1954.
- Trove is freely available worldwide and can be used anywhere with internet access.
- New newspapers are being digitised and added all the time.
Print and microform
- Newspapers published between 1955 and 1990 are still in copyright and can only be viewed using the original print copies or microform.
- Use the Library’s catalogue to find what you need and request to the item to view it the Main Reading Room.
- It helps to have a date and location of the news item in mind before you start your search.
Current newspapers
- Many newspapers from 1990 onwards are available through eResources with your Library login.
- Popular databases include NewsBank and PressReader. To access these resources, simply visit our eResources portal and search for each database under the 'Browse eResources' tab.
- There are also overseas newspapers in languages other than English.
Research guides
- The Library has created comprehensive research guides to help you find out about our newspaper collection. Explore Australian newspapers or overseas newspapers.
Can't visit the Library?
- If you can't visit the Library in Canberra you can use Trove to see if the item or newspaper is available at a library closer to you.
- Another option is to request an item be delivered to your local library. Your local library will be able to tell you about this service, called interlibrary loan, including how much it costs.
