Collections

The British Library has the largest collection on Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands in the United Kingdom.

From early colonial texts through to contemporary literature, the monograph collections cover a broad range of humanities, social science and general interest topics.  You can see more details of the holdings by following the collections link below.

The British Library Sound Archive also holds many rare recordings from the region. The Oceanic/Australasian holdings of unpublished recordings comprise 21 separate ethnographic collections, including 12 wax cylinder collections. Published holdings include early recordings on 78rpm discs primarily of Maori choral music issued on the Columbia label.

Later periods are represented by an array of western labels as well as the regional Kiwi and Larrikin publishing companies. You can read an essay on the holdings, and search the British Library's catalogues by following the Sound Archive link below.

Oceania/Australasia In The British Library Sound Archive