ASF Library

New ASF Club Publications and other Journals

Descent 306 October-November 2025 (hard copy)
JSS Vol.69 No.10 October 2025 (not linked yet)
STC SpeleoSpiel 465 July-August 2025 - open access
KSS Trog - Vol.60 No.01 August-Sept 2025 (not linked yet)
JSS Vol.69 No.09 September 2025 (not linked yet)
JSS Vol.69 No.08 August 2025 (not linked yet)
Karstologia 85 1st Semestre 2025 (hardcopy)
Spelunca 178 June 2025 (hardcopy)
Speleologia 91 July 2025 (hardcopy)
Caves Australia 233 August 2025 - password required (not library password)
MSS 2025 No.3 Winter - ASF member login required
ISS Newsletter Vol.31 No.02 2025 - ASF member login required
Descent 305 Aug-Sept 2025 (hardcopy)
CDAA Guidelines No.167 August 2025 - open access
KSS Trog - Vol.59 No.6 June-July 2025 (not linked yet)
Northern Caverneers Vol.35 No.1 June 2025 - ASF member login required
NHVSS Newcaves Chronicles No.61 January 2024 (not linked yet, backlog being worked through)
SRCC Speleopod - ASF member login required
MSS 2025 No.2 Autumn - ASF member login required
Spelunca 177 March 2025 (hardcopy)
Karstologia 84 2nd Semestre 2024 (hardcopy)
STC SpeleoSpiel 464 - open access (large file)
JSS Vol.69 No.07 July 2025 (not linked yet)
JSS Vol.69 No.06 June 2025 (not linked yet)
Descent 304 June/July 2025 (hardcopy)
JSSS Vol.69 No.05 May 2025 (not linked yet)
MSS 2025 No.1 Summer - ASF member login required
Caves Australia 232 May 2025 - open access
KSS Trog - Vol.59 No.5 Autumn Pt2 2025 - not linked yet
STC SpeleoSpiel 463 - open access
ISS Newsletter Vol.31 No.01 April 2025 - ASF member login required
Descent 302 February/March 2025 (hardcopy)
ASF Cave Cricket Vol.4 Issue 1 2025 - open access
JSSS Vol.69 No.03 March 2025 (not linked yet)
KSS Trog - Vol.59 No.4 Autumn 2025 (not linked yet)
STC SpeleoSpiel 462 Jan-Feb 2025 - open access
JSSS Vol.69 No.02 February 2025 (not linked yet)

Introducing the ASF Library

The Australian Speleological Federation Inc. maintains an extensive collection of caving and caving related literature, as well as being the repository for the Federation's Archives. The collection includes books, journals and magazines, club journals and publications, maps, posters, artwork, postcards, photographs and memorabilia. The Library is also developing a museum which holds objects of historical interest to caving and speleology.

The physical contents of the ASF Library and much of the museum collection are held at North Wyong NSW. Access to the Library is available to all ASF club members on request to the Librarian or a member of the ASF Executive. The resources of the Library exist to be used and everything except archive, reference and rare material is available for loan. Due to the ASF having member clubs all over Australia, an effort is being made to provide as much electronic access to the Library holdings as possible, and the Library would like to thank Rod OBrien from the Sydney University Speleological Society (SUSS) for donating an enormous amount of digital material to the ASF. The Koha server is maintained by Mike Lake. Many, many thanks are due to David Connard for coding ASF member access to member-only material. Links can be found in catalogue entries where an item is available to view online. Some material will only be available to ASF members and you will need to log in to access this online. The current ASF Librarian is Cathi Humphrey-Hood.

The "About" section of this wesbite has more details about accessing material. If you have any questions about the Library, please contact the Librarian at asf.caves.library@gmail.com

Dirk Stoffels from CSS has built a multimedia index to help with finding DVD, video and photograph holdings while cataloguing is taking place:

CDAA Guidelines now in ASF Library

CDAA Guidelines Cover

The ASF Library would like to thank the Cave Diving Association of Australia for making the back issues of its journal "Guidelines" available to catalogue and access through the ASF Library. Thanks also to Rod OBrien who re-scanned a large number of issues where the text was not clear. While not affiliated with the ASF, back issues of the CDAA Guidelines can be found on the Society Pubs page, or directly from here. Or search for "Guidelines" or "CDAA in the Library catalogue.

ASF Youtube Channel

The ASF finally has a Youtube Channel - "Aust Speleo Fed"

YoutubePage

Things are slowly going up to the site as it does take time to upload them, but please subscribe to the channel! We have a lot more to upload, including cave diving videos and more old news segments. If someone has time and is willing to help out, we'd love a few extra people to help get these old (and some new) videos onto the site.

This channel exists to preserve film and video media where it relates to karst and caves in Australia. It is not intended to be an entertainment channel, however some of the archival footage we have is very interesting! The Sellicks Hill Quarry story, told through news segments and put together by Grant Gartrell, is a real eye-opener.

The channel is aimed at media about karst, caves and caving, exploration, discovery, research and conservation - if you have something you would like us to put up on the channel, please contact the Librarian.

ASF Members Access to Library Files

If you are a member of an ASF affiliated club (or an individual ASF member), you can now access files directly from the Library catalogue. If you look something up in the catalogue and it says "ASF Library holdings (login required), you can now click on the link and it will take you to the membership database to log in (if you don't have a token, use the "Click here to retrieve your login" link to get your token (your token can be reused, so please keep it secure)). You can login via the admin section if you have been set up to do that for your club.

membership db screenshot

If you have a username and password to AWS you can of course still use that to log directly into AWS and look at files in our AWS buckets.

Thank you so much David Connard for getting this to work!

Australian Caves and Karst Systems

Aust Caves and Karst 2023

Edited by ASF members Dr Sue White, John Webb and Garry K. Smith and published by SpringerLink in 2023, this is the most comprehensive book on the caves and karst areas of Australia published to date. The ASF Library has an e-copy of the book. ASF members with an AWS login can now access the book by logging into the AWS Console and navigating to the folder: st2.asflib.net>BKS>SPRNGR>CKSW. The catalogue entry is here.

You can also login to view this via the membership database.