Finding Indigenous eResources

Here is an introduction to some of the online databases that can be used to find Indigenous based articles and books. Read About Electronic Databases and e.resources for some background information about the rich content available in these collections.

Indigenous Specific Bibliographic Databases

Informit's Australian Online Databases

Informit is one of our biggest online database providers and offers a significant proportion of Australian based database products. A number of these are provided with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) subset.

Here is a short introduction to some that may be of high interest to you.

• AIASTIS - Indigneous Studies Bibliography
  Covers published and unpublished material on Australian Indigenous studies. Compiled at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Library.
• AGIS-ATSIS - Attorney General's Information Services
  Covers a wide range of Aboriginal legal issues such as land rights, native title, customary law, Aboriginal deaths in custody, the criminal justice system and intellectual property rights. Produced by Commonwealth Attorney Generals Office.
• ATSIhealth Bibliography
  Covers Australian Indigenous Health with a strong focus on 1970's onwards. Compiled by School of Health, Edith Cowan University.
• AEI-ATSI - Australian Education Index
  Covers education and training including learning, psychology, social and cultural influences,language and literacy. Produced by the Cunningham Library at the Australian Council for Education Research.
• AHB-ATSI - Australian Heritage Bibliography
  Covers Australian natural and cultural environment, including important historical and archaelo-gical sites and wilderness areas. Produced by the Australian Heritage Commission.
• Australian Public Affairs Information Service
  Covers social sciences and humanities including history, economics, politics, current affairs and culture. Produced by the National Library of Australia.
• Family - ATSIS - Australian Family and Society Abstracts Database
  Covers research, policy and practice issues about, or of relevance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Produced by Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Indigneous Australia
  Covers a wide range ofATSI studies; stolen generation, removal of children, arts, discrimination.  Represents collection of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Library form 1968 to 1999.
• MAIS- ATSIS - Multicultural Australian and Immigration Studies
  Covers multicultural issues that specifically relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Produced by the Dept. Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.

Go to our Indigneous Australia Database category listing to enter any of these Informit databases. Note these can only be accessed from within the State Library of Western Australia building due to licensing access restrictions.

General Databases with Indigneous Content

As well as the ATSI subset databases provided through the Informit suite of databases; it is worth searching broader databases for content about Aboriginal Australians. All databases should provide a thesaurii which will help you to identify subject categories they collect content in and most will support keyword searching of their content.

Here are some examples of general database providers that can provide you withpointers to Indigneous content:

AustLit - Blackwords Data Subset

Blackwords is an information-rich website, a searchable database and a forum for communication. Black Words provides access to both general and specific information about Indigenous literary cultures and traditions, providing definitions and articulations of what Black writing and Indigenous literatures are.

Black Words also contains records describing published and unpublished books, stories, plays, poems and criticism associated with eligible writers and storytellers and includes works in English and in Indigenous languages.

EBSCO Australian Databases

Book Review Databases

There are a selection of databases that provide you with full-text reviews of published books and publishers. They are a good way to find out what has been published and what a book is about. Look under B in the A-Z of Electronic Resources

Visit our selection of book review databases. In most cases you will find that these databases have subject headings and keywords that will help you to identify publications specifically about Australian Aboriginies.

For access and information about all of our e.resources visit the Indigenous eResources.