RAHS Online Test Catalogue

The RAHS has launched a test version of its online catalogue, which currently includes over 25,000 searchable items—representing around 40% of our total collection of 62,000 items. These records cover a wide range of resources, including books, Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society articles, RAHS History magazine articles, RAHS conference papers (1964–1995), newsletters from our affiliated societies, and other serials. New records are added weekly as we continue to make more of our collections searchable online.

Users of the RAHS Library catalogue should be aware that some materials contain terms that reflect views of the period in which the item was written or recorded. While the information may not reflect current understanding, it is provided in a historical context.

We welcome any feedback you have on our test catalogue. Please email your comments to library@rahs.org.au or call us on (02) 9247 8001.

Collection items discoverable on the RAHS internal databases at History House

The following materials listed below are not currently searchable through our online catalogue. However, our Librarian, Donna Newton, can assist by searching our internal databases. To make an enquiry or arrange an in-person visit, please email Donna at library@rahs.org.au or arrange an in-person visit by calling (02) 9247 8001.

Glass lantern slides and the projector used by RAHS members to present illustrated lectures in the early 20th century.

Manuscripts Collection: The RAHS Manuscript Collection brings together the work of nineteenth-century and twentieth-century historians and antiquarians such as Hazel King, Charles H. Bertie, Douglas Mawson, Arthur Hyman, John Piper, Thomas Callaghan, Norman Selfe and others who believed Australian history was worth studying on its own terms, not merely as an extension of British history.

This unique collection covers a broad range of topics in Australian history—people, places, events, industries, family and local history—and includes both original material and copies of key sources. The collection also features ephemera, photographs, drawings, correspondence, lectures, theses, diaries, journals, maps and plans. Much of it is original, and many items relate to suburbs of Sydney as well as regional areas such as Berrima, Broken Hill, Lismore, Port Macquarie, Windsor, Gulgong, Young and Norfolk Island.

Press Clippings Collection: Press clippings (scrapbooks) and memorabilia are valuable resources for historians, offering unique insights into historical events, social life, and community interests. The RAHS Library holds two significant scrapbook collections, each named in honour of their donors—dedicated members of the Society:

• The James Watson Press Clippings Collection, comprising 32 volumes, predominantly features newspaper clippings, along with some photographs.
• The Foster Press Clippings Collection, comprising 35 volumes, contains much more than newspapers. It includes souvenir booklets, small monographs, illustrations, correspondence, postcards, invitations, and records of RAHS excursions.

Gathered between the 1880s and 1930s, these collections document more than thirty years of historical events and social history in New South Wales and Australia, providing researchers with a rich and varied resource.

Glass Slide Collection: This collection of glass lantern slides, donated by individuals, documents scenes from the 1890s to the 1930s across areas such as the Sydney CBD, Central Coast, Illawarra, New England and the Riverina. Early RAHS members used many of these slides to illustrate public lectures, helping to bring their historical research to life. Some of the images were also reproduced in early issues of the Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society.

Today, the collection offers researchers a valuable visual record of changing landscapes, architecture, and town life in New South Wales at the turn of the twentieth century.

Photograph Collection: The RAHS Photograph Collection includes thousands of images documenting local and regional New South Wales from the early twentieth century to the present. Since the Society’s founding, members and contributors have captured the state’s streetscapes, buildings, community events, and landscapes. More than 500 photographs are now searchable through the online catalogue, and we are continuing to prepare additional images for future upload.

This collection provides researchers with valuable visual evidence of historical change, offering insights into urban development, local heritage, community life, and the built environment over time.