A national library function was part of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library’s mission when it was established in 1901. Sixty years later, the National Library of Australia was created. The charter of the NLA is to collect, categorize and retain all written material about and from Australia. The collection numbers about 10 million books, manuscripts, magazines, photographs, recordings and websites. Most of this material is accessible from an online catalog. You can also use one of three reading rooms or tour the National Library of Australia at its 1968 main building along King Edward Terrace.
