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Curious what our Fellows are up to? 🤔💭 This week we welcomed our 2026 Fellows and Artists in Residence! As always, we’re thrilled to see such a broad range of topics covered – from trade history and crime fiction, to education and architecture. We look forward to sharing more about their research as it develops. Learn more about our Fellowships program: https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/about/awards-fellowships/fellowships Not pictured: Sarah Thomas for 'Tracing Extinction: The role of natural history

Curious what our Fellows are up to? 🤔💭 This week we welcomed our 2026 Fellows and Artists in Residence! As always, we’re thrilled to see such a broad range of topics covered – from trade history and crime fiction, to education and architecture. We look forward to sharing more about their research as it develops. Learn more about our Fellowships program: https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/about/awards-fellowships/fellowships Not pictured: Sarah Thomas for 'Tracing Extinction: The role of natural history

2.2K views2 months ago

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Library adventure tour

Library adventure tour

Discover Central Station's deep dark history 💀 Our new exhibition 'Dead Central' is now open. Take a journey back to the 19th century, to a place where Sydney buried its dead. The haunting story of the Devonshire Street Cemetery is told through a 35-minute audio recording using your own device. BYO headphones for the best sound experience 🎧 A free exhibition at the State Library of NSW, until 17 November 2019. More info here: https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/dead-central | The State Libra

Discover Central Station's deep dark history 💀 Our new exhibition 'Dead Central' is now open. Take a journey back to the 19th century, to a place where Sydney buried its dead. The haunting story of the Devonshire Street Cemetery is told through a 35-minute audio recording using your own device. BYO headphones for the best sound experience 🎧 A free exhibition at the State Library of NSW, until 17 November 2019. More info here: https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/dead-central | The State Libra

26.4K viewsMay 24, 2019

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Find yourself in our new Galleries | The State Library of New South Wales

Find yourself in our new Galleries | The State Library of New South Wales

144K viewsNov 12, 2018

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This is what the installation of over 300 paintings looks like! Our amazing team of expert conservators, curators and exhibition creators worked tirelessly to create this fabulous new exhibition in our newly refurbished Dixson Galleries. The exhibition features selected portraits and landscapes ranging from the 1790s to today. Discover through the collection the extraordinary and the everyday, the famous, notorious and unknown, rare and recent views of Sydney and the harbour, suburban streetscap

This is what the installation of over 300 paintings looks like! Our amazing team of expert conservators, curators and exhibition creators worked tirelessly to create this fabulous new exhibition in our newly refurbished Dixson Galleries. The exhibition features selected portraits and landscapes ranging from the 1790s to today. Discover through the collection the extraordinary and the everyday, the famous, notorious and unknown, rare and recent views of Sydney and the harbour, suburban streetscap

2.1K viewsOct 17, 2018

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Say hello to our new State Librarian! It was Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon's first day at the Library, and we couldn't wait to ask her a few questions. We hope you enjoy getting to know Caroline a little bit better, and we look forward to sharing more as she settles in. Read our full Q&A with Caroline here: https://ow.ly/vRkq50Q7KTe | The State Library of New South Wales

Say hello to our new State Librarian! It was Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon's first day at the Library, and we couldn't wait to ask her a few questions. We hope you enjoy getting to know Caroline a little bit better, and we look forward to sharing more as she settles in. Read our full Q&A with Caroline here: https://ow.ly/vRkq50Q7KTe | The State Library of New South Wales

9.6K viewsNov 15, 2023

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In the 1880s Arthur K Syer strolled through the streets of Sydney with his parcel-wrapped, hand-held 'Detective Camera', which allowed him to take rarely seen photographs of Sydney at the time. We retraced Arthur's steps around Sydney to recreate some of these scene and show them as they are now. Watch and compare the lives of 1880s Sydney-siders with those in the city today. Our free exhibition 'Crowd Source' featuring these snapshots of 1880s Sydney is on until Sunday 23 August 2015. See it be

In the 1880s Arthur K Syer strolled through the streets of Sydney with his parcel-wrapped, hand-held 'Detective Camera', which allowed him to take rarely seen photographs of Sydney at the time. We retraced Arthur's steps around Sydney to recreate some of these scene and show them as they are now. Watch and compare the lives of 1880s Sydney-siders with those in the city today. Our free exhibition 'Crowd Source' featuring these snapshots of 1880s Sydney is on until Sunday 23 August 2015. See it be

2.3K viewsAug 21, 2015

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The Library is open all long weekend for reading, research and recreation! We have 7 free exhibitions on display right now, featuring all kinds of gems from the collection. Finish off the day with a drink at The Library Bar, open Friday and Saturday from 4–10pm. See what's on: https://ow.ly/6wfH50Qubt1 View opening hours: https://ow.ly/KoNa50Qubt0 | The State Library of New South Wales

724 viewsJan 25, 2024

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Discover books that break all the rules. Paper Universe: The book as art is a free exhibition, now open. | The State Library of New South Wales

9.2K views8 months ago

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Getting to the Library just got easier. 🙌 If you're heading to the city on the new Sydney Metro, here's how to reach the Library in under 5 minutes. 1️⃣ Get off at the Martin Place stop 2️⃣ Follow the signs for the Hunter Street exit 3️⃣ Take the escalators (or lift) up to street level 4️⃣ Walk up Hunter Street for a few minutes 5️⃣ Cross the road at Macquarie Street And you'll reach the Library! Whether you're looking for a quiet spot to study, a place to meet with friends, or free exhibitions

8.4K viewsAug 22, 2024

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Library people 🤝 Cat people This International Cat Day we're sharing one of our biggest books on felines! 'Monograph of the Felidae or Family of Cats' by Daniel Giraud Elliot was published in 1883. Inside there are over 40 hand-coloured lithographic plates of cats, big and small. The book was a collaboration between Elliot and natural history illustrator, Joseph Wolf. Elliot gives a description of each animal and writes about where they live, how they get food, their behaviours and habits. The

2.8K viewsAug 8, 2024

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Here are 3 exciting research opportunities at the Library right now. 1. The Imago Creative Writing Fellowship We have just launched a new creative writing fellowship valued at $50,000 – supported by an anonymous donor! This opportunity is open to all emerging writers to produce a fiction or non-fiction work of any genre. 2. The Summer Scholars Program This exciting program will provide 10 tertiary students and creatives with the opportunity to learn archival research skills. The successful recip

2.5K viewsMay 13, 2024

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Ready to be wowed by our state-of-the-art auditorium!? Deep beneath the Mitchell Library Reading Room is a spectacular 350-seat new venue. The main entryway is a stunning glass-ceiling atrium outside the Governor Marie Bashir Reading Room. The flooring features the last known Wombeyan marble, which has been held in storage for over 20 years. In this clip, watch as we work to: ⛏️ Remove of 1000m³ of sandstone 🔩 Add 93 tonnes of structural steel 🪵 Line the acoustic walls with 8723 individual tim

3.5K viewsOct 27, 2023

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Today we say yeeraboabo and farewell to our State Librarian Dr Alex Byrne who is retiring after five incredible years at the Library. Here’s a snapshot of how we will best remember his leadership, his good humour and his many talents. The staff at the State Library wish Alex all the very best. Alex has shared this message: http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/news/retirement-message-state-librarian | The State Library of New South Wales

1.1K viewsSep 2, 2016

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The Library Bar's observation deck is back and bigger than ever!!! Now more than twice as many people can enjoy the spectacular views of the Harbour and across the Domain ... just in time for summer. It's the perfect spot for after-work drinks or to catch up with friends. Oh, and did we mention there's a new cocktail menu? If you're planning your next visit already, be sure to add these dates to your calendar: 🎹 Live jazz with Jordan Chung (30 Nov & 14 Dec) 🎷 Live funk with Yeo Trio (26 Nov &

1.1K viewsNov 30, 2022

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NSW State Library releases WWI personal diary collection

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We’re feeling sentimental! Luke the librarian shares 5 pieces of the Library’s past for #LibraryLoversDay. 1. Card catalogues In the old days, librarians used hand-written and typed collection records to describe and search for items in the collection. Our card catalogues hold thousands of descriptive cards created and used by generations of librarians, researchers and readers. There are a number of card catalogues in our Mitchell Library Reading Room – come and take a look anytime! 2. The old b

9K viewsFeb 14, 2025

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Did your family come to Australia from Greece? We've got news for you! The Library recently acquired a collection of Greek-Australian oral histories, and some of these interviews are now available online. We’ve collaborated with UNSW to develop a new website where you'll find stories and photographs that document the lives of Greek people in Sydney. This is a growing website and we look forward to adding more content in the future. We hope this collection will help generations of Greek-Australia

88.6K viewsMay 5, 2024

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Libraries are here for everyone, and we’re committed to making our spaces, collections and services more accessible. This International Day Of People With Disability we're sharing 5 ways we're improving access in, and around, the Library. Learn more: https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/about-library/access-inclusion/access-library | The State Library of New South Wales

868 viewsDec 2, 2024

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Say hello to our new Fellows and Visiting Scholars! We are proud to be celebrating 50 years of the Library's Fellowship program. This year we've welcomed our biggest cohort yet, with 8 Fellows and 18 Visiting Scholars, from diverse disciplines and research backgrounds. Over the next 12 months they will explore, interpret and reimagine the Library's collection to uncover fresh perspectives on Australian history, society and culture. We can't wait to see how your research develops and what surpris

7.6K viewsFeb 19, 2024

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You might remember Mr Squiggle, but how much do you know about his creator? Norman Hetherington was the cartoonist and puppeteer behind the magic of one of @abcinsydney's longest-running children’s television programs. He was also a member of the Black and White Artists' Club, the world's first collective of newspaper cartoonists. The club, now called the Australian Cartoonists Association, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Delve into a treasure trove of Australian humour and satire th

33.9K viewsJul 18, 2024

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An old shoebox full of memories. ❤️ The Library has just acquired a precious collection of 100 letters penned by WWII Physiotherapist Winifred Smith (1911-1965). Winifred had been travelling solo in Europe when the war broke out and decided to stay on to do her bit – even when she had the opportunity to return home. In her letters to her mother between 1939 and 1945 she wrote about the horrors of war, her work, the social events she attended and the Australians she had met along the way. Winifre

25.5K viewsSep 3, 2024

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Happy New Year! Wishing everyone a happy and safe 2024 — from all of us at the Library. Our reading rooms and exhibitions are open every day. See what's on: https://ow.ly/eurS50Qj0Nk | The State Library of New South Wales

804 viewsDec 31, 2023

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Have you looked into your family's history? This August during Family History Month we're hosting a series of FREE online workshops to help you uncover stories from your past. Suitable for beginners, experts and everyone in-between. You'll also get to hear from technologist and family historian Andrew Redfern on how AI is transforming the way we research, document, preserve and share family heritage. For a more personal experience, head to our pop-up family history desk in the Macquarie Street f

1.6K viewsJul 20, 2024

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We've just added 12 rare books to the Amaze Gallery! Be the first to see some of the significant rare books acquired last year, thanks to the generous supporters of the Library Foundation’s Annual Appeal. Landmark works, published between 1498 to 1847, cover architecture, mining, mathematics, literature, religion, economics, philosophy, history and more. Also on display are the newly acquired sketchbooks by Sydney artist Michael Kelly, original artwork for 'Horrible Harriet and the Terrible Tant

1.2K viewsMar 15, 2024

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We’re gifting some 7,400 photographs and 500 boxes of manuscripts, posters and memorabilia dating back to WWI to The State Library of New South Wales. For more than two years our volunteers have been cataloguing our NSW archive. Now the countdown is on to a series of handovers that start next month. Interested in being part of Red Cross? We’re always looking for more volunteers: http://www.redcross.org.au/volunteering.aspx | Australian Red Cross

9.4K viewsAug 16, 2016

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How good are librarians? ❤️ Janelle is one of our passionate family history librarians. Every day she helps people find connections to their past. "To be a librarian, you don't have to know everything, but you need to know how to find the answer to everything." Join us for Family History Month and enjoy a range of online and onsite events to help you with your research. Visit the pop-up Family History desk in the Macquarie Street foyer on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 11am to 1pm. See what'

9.4K viewsAug 1, 2024

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State Library of South Australia on Reels

644 views6 months ago

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Summer is here ... and so are our new Fellows! ☀️ Today we welcomed 9 tertiary students and creative practitioners who will spend the next few months digging into the Library's collection. Our Fellows will explore a broad range of subjects, from architecture to activism, history, media, art and more. Find out what they'll be researching below: 🧱 Ira Friedberg: Bad Times in Red Brick Flats 🦜 Bronwyn Rennex: Ralph Clark and the Birds 🎗️ Suzanne Smith: The Save Our Sons Movement during the Vietn

685 viewsDec 2, 2024

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We placed a microphone with a sign that said: “Whisper why you love libraries.” Here are some of the messages that readers and staff shared. Happy Library Lovers' Day! ❤️ | The State Library of New South Wales

10.2K views2 months ago

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