ABC Archives

We hold selections of:

• ABC Radio material from 1932
• ABC Television material from 1956
• ABC Photographs
• ABC Documents

Although we have television and radio material produced prior to 1984, these selections are not as comprehensive as our more contemporary collections.

Programs can be purchased from the ABC Shop for home viewing only. However there are many programs broadcast on ABC TV that are not available in the ABC Shop or other retail outlets, but can be ordered upon request from Non-Theatric Sales, see https://www.abc.net.au/programsales. These programs are licensed with 'non-theatric' rights which permits viewing by non-paying Australian-based audiences and are used most frequently for personal and home use, and for educational and business purposes.

For information about a recent program please browse for the relevant program at https://www.abc.net.au/. If you have some feedback, or a complaint, go to https://www.abc.net.au/contact/.

General information about the history of the ABC and its organisational structure is available at https://www.abc.net.au/corp/.

ABC Library Sales offers research and access services. More details and links to their rate cards can be found at: https://www.abccommercial.com/librarysales/

Yes - but only if you are a bona fide post-graduate student, or a commercial researcher or independent program maker working on a book or production. Research facilities are available in Sydney and Melbourne. You can access in-house databases and auditioning facilities. There is a daily fee of $120 to cover facility costs plus our standard fees if you need specific research assistance from specialised ABC personnel.

Many of our older records, including audio-visual items as well as corporate documents and publications, are available for viewing at the National Archives of Australia in their reading rooms. You can find their contact details, how to request information, and their opening hours at: http://www.naa.gov.au/about-us/contact/.

Although we will try to answer brief enquiries, Research projects are undertaken by ABC Library Sales at a cost https://www.abccommercial.com/librarysales/

The ABC's main television shot list database, TARA Online, and the Natural History database, Wild Online, are available through ABC Library Sales. Please be aware due to copyright and other restrictions these databases do not include a full listing of our entire collection.

Copyright laws are many and varied. The Australian Copyright Council provides information and advice on copyright in Australia. Screenrights, the Audio Visual Copyright Society, details copyright issues with particular relevance to Australian educational institutions. We recommend that you visit their sites for comprehensive information on the subject.

Many program sites archive information on past programs. ABC sites that publish transcripts include Radio National and ABC News programs. Many older scripts and transcripts have been transferred to the National Archives of Australia, and (where those records are older than 28 years) you are able to view them there or have remote copies made via their website http://www.naa.gov.au/. However, be aware that much TV and radio content went to air without scripts or transcripts, and not all that were prepared have been retained. If you intend to quote from, publish, reproduce, perform or use the script in any commercial way, then you first need written permission from the copyright holder(s) and the ABC. In some circumstances the ABC may carry out archival research and copying for users, but research and licensing charges may apply. See https://www.abccommercial.com/librarysales/

The NFSA has some advice for caring for your film and video at home. Their advice can be found under Care for audiovisual materials on the NFSA's Preservation page.

ABC Archives is not part of the Libraries Australia Document Delivery network. However many ABC publications, including commercial audio and video publications, are available through other libraries on this network.

The ABC has started to select and release collections of archival material for use in schools on the ABC Learn Video Library website which are free for non commercial educational use. Archival photographs are available on our Open Archive Flickr Photostream. Other archival content is available on the ABC Pool Open Archives group. If you cannot find any relevant content you can contact Content Sales.