HYMNOLOGY COLLECTION
State Library of Queensland's hymnology collection contains hymn books for most Christian denominations in English and in other languages. The collection also contains reference material such as indexes, prayer books, handbooks and thesauri plus books about hymn composers.
Highlights
The earliest hymn book in the collection is dated 1637.
We have hymn books in foreign languages including Gaelic, Welsh, French, German, Dutch, Greek, Latin, danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Korean, japanese and Indonesian.
How do I start?
You can track a hymn down even if you remember only the first line or the name of the tune. You can find out the origin and history of any Christian hymn no matter what language it is in or how old it is. Library staff will help you to find the hymns you want.
To search the collection in the catalogue, type "hymns" in the search box and choose Music from the "Collection" section of the "Refine my results" list.
Did you know?
According to NetHymnal traffic, Amazing Grace is the most popular hymn in the English language. The words, by John Newton, appeared in Newton's Olney hymns of 1779. The State Library holds Olney hymns; in 3 parts, 1847.
The standard tune for the hymn is New Britain.
How do I access items in this collection?
Access at the State Library of Queensland
- Find items in the collection via our One Search catalogue.
- Browse Levels 2, 3 and 4 or request items from onsite ‘Closed Access’ storage with your e-services card. If you order Closed Access items via the One Search catalogue 24 hours ahead of your visit, items should be waiting for you when you arrive. You can order up to 3 days in advance.
- Use our e-collections computers on level 2 to search the library’s catalogue; to search our databases for electronic journal, magazine and newspaper articles and to view images and manuscripts from our collection. These e-collections computers do not need to be booked and have no time limits on their use.
- You can also access our electronic resources via the State Library’s free wireless service if you have a laptop. Check our Info Guide on how to access wireless for details.
Access offsite
You can access selected offsite databases to search for electronic journal, magazine and newspaper articles. You will be prompted to login with your e-services card or QPL account.
Some State Library items are available for loan to other libraries. Contact your local library for information about interlibrary loan and copy services.
Search our collections:
Related links
External links
Last updated: 22nd December 2011
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