Our PhotoSearch database contains over 120,000 captions and nearly 10,000 digitised images which can be searched and viewed online. You may also like to browse our fact sheets and numbered research guides . These contain a selection of digitised images. You can use PhotoSearch to search the captions and view online images of some of our 1200 photographic collections. Use the online request form if you would like us to digitise images that currently have only a caption.
Archives are original records, often unique and usually irreplaceable.
Because of their age, archives are fragile and the information they contain is vulnerable to damage or loss through constant or improper handling. Unlike library material, which is usually published in multiple copies and able to be replaced if lost or stolen, when you use an archival record you are often using the only copy that exists. For these reasons strict rules govern the handling and use of archival records. To avoid the risk of loss or damage, we do not transfer archival records between reading rooms in different cities. In this way, we seek to maintain and preserve them for future generations.