In 2019, the History of Medicine Library commenced a digitisation program to provide greater access to its remarkable collection of historical medical Australiana and Aotearoa New Zealand materials.

The Covid-19 pandemic significantly changed the way people work, with many employed from home during periods of lockdown. For libraries, foremost of the challenges was the near-total loss of access to books and other physical holdings, highlighting the need for remote access to records and information. However, this also provided an opportunity to explore the possibilities of digitisation in order to facilitate the discovery and preservation of scholarly content.

Focusing on unique, out of copyright material, the Library has digitalised over 2000 historical medical documents and 2000 plus images of RACP Fellows, events, and historical medical artefacts. Members can now access a wide range of digitalised items from the comfort of their home, office, or anywhere they have an internet connection, via the online catalogue.

The latest material to be digitised is the New South Wales Medical Gazette, the second medical journal to be published in New South Wales (from 1870-1875). It was published on a monthly basis, with each volume usually running to thirty-two pages. There were a few illustrations included in each edition and it was described as a "strong and vigorous journal, full of interesting and stimulating articles" (J. Cumpston, MJA Vol. II, No. 1, July 1, 1939). The journal was edited by Dr. Frederick Milford and then briefly, in 1875, by Dr. Samuel T. Knaggs, before he went on to set up and edit the Australian Practitioner, with its broader appeal. Unfortunately, this journal was also short-lived, lasting only one year.

The first two volumes of New South Wales Medical Gazette can be accessed here. Once finished, it will be the first time - so far as I am aware - that the complete set of the Journal is available online. Given the fragile nature of the volumes, digitising the last three years of the Journal will take a little longer, but this will also ensure that the originals will no longer need to be handled.

The Library’s ongoing digitisation program ensures that its unique physical items and other resources are preserved and available online, allowing members to access them from anywhere they have internet connection. With these objectives in mind, the digitisation initiative will continue throughout 2025 and beyond, as items held by the Library continue to fall out of copyright.