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Australian schools' textbooks collection

About the collection

The Australian Schools Textbook collection comprises textbooks used in Australian primary and secondary schools wherever published. It is the largest of its type in Australia, comprising over 25,000 titles, and is considered to be of national significance.

A particular strength of the collection is the large number of nineteenth century Australian publications held. Also included is:

  • school curricula
  • student workbooks
  • exam and test papers
  • related material such as teacher's classroom manuals.

The collection is complemented by the Children's Literature Research collections.

Find this collection

Material from the collection have the prefix:

  • ADPML SPTXT

Items in this collection may be used in the reading room at the Alfred Deakin Prime Ministerial Library.

A sample of this collection is also available online.

Collection highlights

The Australian Schools Textbook Collection provides excellent research resources for:

  • history of curricula
  • history of education in Australia
  • socialisation process
  • growth of nationalism
  • perceptions of gender, class and race
  • perceptions of cultural and social history

Get in touch

Book an appointment or visit our Burwood and Waterfront spaces. Our Archives and Special Collections are open by appointment, weekdays only.