The Australian Newspaper Plan (ANPlan) is an ongoing project designed to collect and preserve every newspaper published in Australia, guaranteeing public access to these important historical records. The overall aim of the ANPlan project is to preserve all Australian newspapers and to give the public access to them, so that communities are able to explore their rich newspaper heritage.

Through the ANPlan, newspapers are preserved and copies made available for the public to use. As a result of the work of the project to date, missing newspapers have been identified, and the next step in the Australian Newspaper Plan is to try to find these missing titles.

Become a newspaper detective!

We’d like your help to look for the missing newspapers and submit them to us for preservation. The missing titles which the State Library of Western Australia would like to find urgently include:

• The Pilbarra Goldfields News (missing all of 1901)
• The Northam Courier (missing all of 1915)
• The Geraldton Express (missing all of 1916)
• The Swan Express (missing all of 1916)
• The Evening Star (Boulder - missing all of 1919)
• The Swan River Guardian (1836 and 1838, various issues)
• Bulong Bulleting and Mining Register (1897, various issues)
• Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News (1855 – 1857, various issues)

- as well as many other titles. For a full list of the wanted newspapers, go to www.nla.gov.au/anplan

Once the wanted newspapers have been tracked down, they will be saved to ensure their preservation for future generations of Australians.

What do I do if I find an old newspaper?

Call Carmel McRobert, Battye Library Subject Specialist, on (08) 9427 3305 to find out how you can help. Carmel will:

1. Ask you what newspaper it is.
2. Ask you what year it is.
3. Then talk with you to decide if it is worth bringing in for us to have a look at.

How can I read the old newspapers?

The Libraries Australia search facility provides access to the national database of material, including newspapers and newspaper microform copies, held in Australian libraries. You can search for any item and locate which library in Australia holds it. This service is available to all public users free-of-charge.

The Australian Newspaper Plan is a cooperative initiative of National and State Libraries Australasia, involving the State Library of Western Australia in partnership with the National Library of Australia, the State Library of Queensland, the State Library of New South Wales, the State Library of Victoria, the State Library of Tasmania, the State Library of South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory Heritage Library, and the Northern Territory Library.