The National Library of Australia in Canberra was formally established by the passage of the National Library Act 1960. Its origins can be traced back to the establishment of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library in 1901. The Library’s role “is to ensure that documentary resources of national significance relating to Australia and the Australian people, as well as significant non-Australian library materials, are collected, preserved and made accessible” (National Library of Australia website). These resources include records and publications relating to the history of child welfare.