Australiana Index

The Australiana Index can be accessed by selecting 'Australiana Index' from the dropdown menu in a catalogue search. To search the index:

• Enter the words you want to search for in the Search box
• Select 'Australiana Index' from the dropdown menu
• Click the search button (magnifying glass)

Click on any title from the search results to view the full index record.

Each record in the Australiana Index is a reference to published or unpublished material. The record will provide you with the information required to find that material. 

Useful fields include:

• Source: The published or unpublished material where you will find the reference.
• Description: Further information about the physical appearance of the material referenced. Not all records will include a description field.
• Subjects: A link to other index entries about the same subject.
• Summary: A brief description of the material that is referenced.
• Is part of: A link to other index entries from the same source.

For assistance in accessing any of the items referred to in the index, contact our Ask a librarian service. 

• Search our Library catalogue
• Databases, eresources & ebooks
• Ask a librarian
• Become a Library member
• Library systems status

 

Searching a specific index

To search one of the smaller individual indexes that make up the Australiana Index, try adding the name of the smaller index to your search. 

For example, a search for beechworth local history will return results from the Local History Index.

Similarly, a search for Ned Kelly biography will return results from the Biography Index.

For more information on the individual indexes, see Scope of the index.

Advanced search

While it is possible to use advanced search for the Australiana Index, many of the advanced search options do not apply to index entries and may cause confusion. We recommend using the basic search when searching the index. 

Subject headings used in the index

The digitised resource Subject headings used in La Trobe inhouse indexes can be a useful tool when searching the Australiana Index.  

Some of the indexes that make up the Australiana index use these subject headings to describe resources. 

To navigate Subject headings used in La Trobe inhouse indexes, we recommend downloading the resource as a PDF.

Once downloaded, you can search within the PDF for any key terms related to your topic. This will help you identify subject headings you can then use to search the Australiana Index. 

For example, if you were wanting to find material related to the Boer War you would see that the relevant subject heading is South African War, 1899-1902.

That subject heading could then be used to search the Australiana Index.