CALL NUMBERS

Australian newspapers in the Library's collection are categorized and stored according to format. You can identify if the newspaper you have located in our catalogue is the print or microfilm version by the following Call Number prefixes:

NX = Print Australian newspaper title

mfm NX = Microfilmed Australian newspaper title

mc NX = Australian newspaper title on microfiche

Some examples are:

NX 252 = the print issue of The Bulletin with Newsweek

mfm NX 141 = the microfilmed version of The Bulletin with Newsweek

Newspaper stand in a railway station headlining attempt to kill King, Victoria, 1936

Our Australian newspaper collections include digitised historic and modern newspapers accessible online, as well as newspapers in microform and paper formats. We collect or subscribe to:

  • Australian capital city dailies, major regional city newspapers, a range of other country town newspapers, newspapers published by ethnic groups and political organisations, and newspapers representing special interests. Our Library cooperates with the state and territory libraries through the Australian Newspaper Plan to collect, preserve and provide access to Australian newspapers, with each library taking primary responsibility for newspapers published in their respective state or territory.
  • Digitised Australian newspapers including the first newspaper published in Australia, the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, are freely available through Trove
  • Foreign language Australian newspapers
  • Online versions of Australian newspapers through major full-text databases such as PressReader and Newsbank Access World News, which are available to registered users of the Library via our e-Resources.

Newspapers in print and film

The Newspapers and Family History zone has many issues of all Australian capital city daily newspapers.

The Library also has many Australian newspapers published in languages other than English for the various ethnic communities in Australia. Newspapers can be found by title on the Library catalogue and also by subject terms or geographic location, see Searching the catalogue.

In copyright newspapers between 1955 and 1990 are available in print and microfilm. There are few indexes for this period so you will need a date and place in mind before you start your search.

Early historical Australian newspapers between 1803 and 1955 are freely available online through the Trove database.

Some current newspapers post 1990 may be available online. You can explore many online newspapers in eResources.

PressReader provides access to over newspapers in 40 languages from more than 80 countries including Australia.

You will need a National Library login to access some eResources. Some eResources can only be accessed onsite at the Library.

See Digital Newspapers for more information.

Unidentified aviator in uniform sitting on steps reading a newspaper, ca. 1930 [picture].

Unidentified aviator in uniform sitting on steps reading a newspaper 

 ca. 1930, nla.pic-vn4774238

Part of Horrie Miller aviation photograph collection, 1906 to 1984  between 1906 and 1984

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The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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