Papers of Munro Ferguson, dating from 1914 to 1920, that form one of the finest personal archives of an Australian governor-general. They consist largely of correspondence with the King, generals, politicians, judges and state governors, plus speeches and diaries.

Recordings of interviews made by McHugh while producing various series for the ABC and also when working on her book Minefields and Miniskirts, together with papers and manuscripts.

Personal papers including correspondence, manuscripts of books, newspaper articles, lectures and material concerning writers, artists and literary organisations as well as about 2500 books published 1900–60, many inscribed by the authors. 

Pamphlets, newspapers, printed ephemera, transcripts from archives in Ireland and Australia, records of Irish organisations in Australia, and personal papers of Irish nationalists and Catholic clergy. Also about 1200 photographs of Australian places and people with an Irish connection.

14,000 books and pamphlets about numerous subjects such as Australian poetry and literary criticism, English and Scottish poetry, Greek and Roman literature, Australian history, labour history and religion. Also includes personal papers of Pearce and other Australian writers.

Recordings of Australian folk songs, some British folk songs, Greek and Turkish music, African songs, dance music, recitations, poetry, jokes, children’s rhymes, yarns, and recollections recorded in Victoria 1953-1969.

80 oral history interviews with musicians, dancers and others, and recordings of songs and performances, as well as sheet music, imprints and personal papers.

The National Library's Indonesian collection is the largest collection of Indonesian language material in Australia and one of largest contemporary collections in the world.

The Fellowships aimed to promote the Library as a centre of scholarly activity and research, and encourage the use and promotion of the Library's rich and varied collections. It supported 150 researchers until 2014 when it was replaced by the Fellowships and Scholarships program.

Japan Fellowships were awarded from 2006 until 2015 with the support of the H.S Williams Trust.