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The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Established in 1869 its collections date back to the Australian Subscription Library established in the colony of New South Wales (now a state of Australia) in 1826. Work began on the Macquarie Street Wing in 1983 and it was opened in 1988.

Collection

The State Reference Library contains a comprehensive and diverse collection of Australian and international research material. The collections grow through purchase, donation, transfer and legal deposit for all books published in New South Wales. a drug and alcohol information service and a family history research service. It is part of the PANDORA web archiving project of the National Library of Australia and also collects born digital material.

As well as being a general purpose reference and research library, it contains many historically significant collections including material dating from the European colonisation of Australia. These are held in the Australiana research collections known as the Mitchell Library (named for David Scott Mitchell, first collector of Australiana) and the Dixson Library (named after Sir William Dixson).

Collection highlights

The library has been continuously adding to its collections since 1826 and holds collections of manuscripts, books, artworks, photography and artefacts of national and international significance. These include:

  • Original Log of the Proceedings of HMS Bounty in a Voyage to the South Seas, William Bligh, 1 December 1787- 22 October 1788, Safe 1/46.
  • Journal kept by Joseph Banks on board during the first voyage undertaken by James Cook to the Pacific Ocean.
  • Harold Lasseter's diary documenting his expedition in 1930 searching for gold.
  • George Augustus Robinson's journal from 1832 recording his activities in Tasmania, notable for the detailed information he recorded about the local Aboriginal people he encountered.
  • The Holtermann Collection of over 3,500 glass-plate negatives and albumen prints, many of which depict life in New South Wales goldfield towns between 1871 and 1876.
  • Max Dupain and Associates archive of 250,000 negatives, transparencies, and photographs 1905-2011.
  • Richardson Collection of 289 volumes of rare bibles, religious works, early printed books and a small collection of medieval manuscripts.
  • First Fleet Journals. The Library holds the most comprehensive collection of First Fleet journals in the world; of the fifteen journals known to survive, ten are held in the State Library's collections.
  • Shakespeare Folios. The Library holds a copy of the extremely rare 1623 "First Folio" as well as copies of the "Second", "Third" and "Fourth" folios.
  • World War One Collection. The Library holds a rich and significant collection of personal diaries and letters written by those who served in the First World War.
  • Indigenous Languages Collection. These records are vocabularies and other language material from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and date from 1788 to the 1930s.
  • George Morrison Collection. A comprehensive collection of the personal papers of 'Morrison of Peking' that documents a volatile time in world history and is of international significance.
  • Australian Antarctic Expedition (1911-1914) photographs, notes, and reports. Includes over 2000 photographic negatives taken on the expedition.
  • Frank Hurley's Antarctic colour plates of Shackleton's Endurance expedition as well as his colour Paget plates from World War One.
  • The Social Media Archive is the Library's Digital Collecting Strategy partnership with CSIRO Data 61 to collect and archive publicly-available social media.
  • Sir William Dixson numismatic collection of over 7800 coins, notes and tokens.
  • Two of three surviving copies of the New South Wales General Standing Orders, the first book published in Australia.

<gallery class="center" caption"="widths=&quot;120px&quot;" heights="120">

File:Leaves from Botany Bay used as tea 1791 a928933.jpg|Leaves from Botany Bay used as tea by Mary Bryant<br />(1791)

File:Holey dollar coinage NSW 1813 a128577 01.jpg|Holey dollar and dump first distinct NSW coinage<br />(1813)

File:Macquarie collectors chest 1818 a1089004.jpg|Macquarie collector's chest, constructed by Captain James Wallis<br />(1818)

File:Gov Davey's proclamation-edit2.jpg|Proclamation board issued by George Arthur<br />(1828–1830)

File:Port Macquarie, NSW painted by Joseph Backler a128942h.jpg|Port Macquarie, New South Wales by Joseph Backler<br />(–1840)

File:Dr William Bland ca 1845 - portrait a128689.jpg|William Bland – the oldest-surviving Australian photograph<br />()

File:Cabbage Trees near the Shoalhaven River NSW 1860 Eugene von Guerard a1528199.jpg|Cabbage Trees near the Shoalhaven River, by Eugene von Guerard<br />(1860)

File:Endurance in Antarctica, 1915 Hurley a090007.jpg|Photos of Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica by Frank Hurley<br />(1915)

File:Cover of Marcus Clarks' spring & summer catalogue 1926-27.jpg|Cover of Marcus Clarks' spring & summer catalogue 1926-27

File:The Australian Olympic Team at the Olympic Stadium, Los Angeles, 1932 - photographer unknown.jpg|Eileen Wearne Olympic photographs and papers<br />(1920–1947)

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Electronic resources

Computer cataloguing commenced in the early 1980s for books, A large cataloguing backlog of material without an electronic record prompted the library's successful 2008 application for government funding to create over one million electronic catalogue records. The library subscribes to electronic databases which are accessible for cardholders via the catalogue. The digitisation of the papers of Sir Joseph Banks, completed in 1997, was the first digitisation project of original manuscripts undertaken by the library. the Hood collection of photographs by Sam Hood and son Ted Hood, and the Holtermann Collection of images of the NSW goldfields of the 1860s and 1870s, which is now listed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register. Digitised images of items from the library's collection are available in the catalogue, and some are also available through thematic online exhibitions. In 2012 the library received State Government funding to digitise 12 million pages from its collection, including newspapers, manuscripts, pictures and books.

In Australia, legal deposit legislation exists at the national and state levels to support the provision of access to Australian research, heritage and culture. The Copyright Act 1968 governs legal deposit requirements at a national level. In New South Wales, legal deposit is required under the New South Wales Copyright Act 1879–1952, ss 5–7.

Services

Access to the library reading rooms and galleries is free. There are a range of services that are accessible via a library card including remote access to electronic resources for NSW residents, access to books and other material from storage, and bookings for onsite study rooms. The library hosts free exhibitions, both from its own collections and from other organisations such as World Press Photo.

Relationship with NSW public libraries

The library administers the sections of the Library Act 1939 and the Library Regulation that relate to local authorities and public libraries in New South Wales. The library provides information, professional development programs, advice and the payment of grants and subsidies to local authorities operating New South Wales public libraries.

The State Library's Public Library Services team provides a research program on behalf of public libraries in New South Wales. This covers standards and guidelines for library buildings and services, economic value studies, services and management of public libraries.

Online services

The Australian Indigenous Index, or INFOKOORI, is an index to the fortnightly newspaper Koori Mail, covering from May 1991 to July 2016, as well as to biographical information from various magazines, including Identity (1971-1982); Our AIM (1907-1961); and Dawn (1952-1969) / New Dawn (1970-1975).

Collaborations with Wikimedia

The library has contributed to a number of Wikimedia projects, including:

  • Added images to Wikimedia Commons
  • Added State library of NSW collection items to Wikidata
  • 2016-2023 the library has contributed to 1Lib1Ref

Opening Hours - Transport connections

Reading Rooms & Exhibition Galleries

  • Monday to Thursday (9 am to 8 pm)
  • Friday (9 am to 5 pm)
  • Weekends (10 am to 5 pm)

Library Bar

  • Wednesday to Saturday (4 pm till late)

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|rowspan=3| Trains<br />50px || Martin Place || 20px North West & Bankstown

20px Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra

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| St James ||rowspan=2|

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| Circular Quay

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| Buses<br />50px || Macquarie Street || 200, Sydney Explorer <br /> Timetable

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| Ferries<br />50px || Circular Quay || Timetable

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History

The first library collections were part of the Australian Subscription Library which was started by a group of wealthy Sydney citizens in 1826. It was then purchased for by the New South Wales Government in 1869 and became the Sydney Free Public Library. In 1895 it was renamed the Public Library of New South Wales until its most recent name change in 1975, when it became the State Library of New South Wales.

Establishment (1826&ndash;1900)

The Australian Subscription Library was established in 1826 at a meeting at the Sydney Hotel chaired by barrister John Mackaness. Library membership was subject to committee approval. James Mitchell, father of David Scott Mitchell (who would later bequeath his collection to the library), was a committee member from 1832 to 1853

In December 1827 operations began in rented premises in Pitt Street and in the two years following, the library led a peripatetic existence having been located a few years in George Street, Bridge Street, Macquarie Street and Macquarie Place. The library had financial problems and required more space to house its growing collections but negotiations in 1838 to construct a new library building broke down over member unwillingness to broaden access to the library. Fortunately for the members later negotiations with the government were more successful and construction of a new library building began in 1843.

The library expanded its operations, opening a lending branch in 1877. This lending branch was handed to the Sydney Municipal Council in 1909 and later became the City of Sydney Library. Another of Walker's initiatives was to establish services across the state, with loans to organisations including the Wollongong School of Arts and the Mechanics' Institute at Plattsburg (modern-day Wallsend) However, Mitchell's efforts to collect as many books and manuscripts relating to Australia, the Pacific, the East Indies and Antarctica, particularly from 1886 onwards, created competition for these materials. Anderson realised that the library did not have the budget or contacts to compete with Mitchell (from the 1880s onward, George Robertson gave Mitchell first right of refusal on Australiana material purchased by Angus & Robertson), and attempted to build a working relationship with Mitchell. In 1909, Hugh Wright was appointed to the newly created position of Mitchell Librarian; the creation of this role was another condition of Mitchell's bequest. Nita Kibble was another early member of the library staff. Mitchell's bequest also included funding for collection acquisition; expanding the library's collection (particularly in the area of Australiana and Pacific material) was a priority for both Wright and William Ifould, who was appointed Principal Librarian in 1912. Ifould envisioned the library as a repository of material relating to the history of Australia, not just New South Wales, Matthew Flinders in 1922, and Abel Tasman's journal in 1926, and after World War I collected journals of soldiers from that conflict. Dixson was the guest of honour at the opening of an exhibition to mark the centenary of Mitchell's birth in 1936, and also paid for the bronze doors added to the Mitchell building in 1942, when extensions were added. His entire collection passed to the library after his death in 1952. In the 1930s, many women in the workforce suffered discrimination on the basis of gender, and her appointment caused controversy due to the seniority of the position. This role would sit above the Mitchell Librarian role in the organisation's hierarchy. The decision to create it was criticised by the National Council of Women.

In 1934, Ralph Munn and E. R. Pitt led an inquiry into Australian libraries. Their report contrasted the regional library network in Australia with that in the United States of America and England, and recommended that further efforts be made to establish and support regional libraries. Their recommendations included the establishment of free public libraries in every local council area; this was enshrined in the Library Act 1939, In collaboration with the State Library of Victoria and the National Library of Australia, a bibliography of sources relating to Asia and the Pacific was compiled in response to public interest sparked by World War II.

Metcalfe was an advocate for free public libraries and supported their establishment throughout his career. and was housed at the library until 1978. The Rainbow Archives project was established in the 1980s, The estate of Jean Garling, author and dancer, passed to the library on her death. The library collections continue to expand, with recent acquisitions including 201 personal letters of surveyor John Septimus Roe (1797–1878) and the Edward Close sketchbook (1817–1818). In 2013 the library acquired two memorials written by Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós to King Philip appealing for funding for an expedition to the fabled Terra Australis. The library holds a copy of all thirteen known surviving memorials.

In early 2014 controversy erupted over proposed changes to the Mitchell Library. A petition of over 200 well-known writers and academics was soon joined by over 9,000 other library users including historians, architects, archaeologists, academics and family historians. In reply the State Librarian, Alex Byrne, issued an open letter, and other writers debated the role of libraries in the digital age. In response the Library announced a restoration programme which effectively reversed the proposed changes.

On 22 March 2020 the Library buildings were closed to the public to help protect the health of visitors and staff and to minimise the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in New South Wales. It continued providing access to its online services during the shutdown period and reopened under NSW Health guidelines on 13 July 2020. After the easing of NSW COVID-19 restrictions the Library reverted to its normal opening hours on 8 March 2021. Due to a second outbreak of COVID-19 in the Sydney CBD on 25 June 2021 the Library followed advice from NSW Health and stopped public access to the building before re-opening on the 11 October 2021.

On 12 May 2025 the Macquarie Street building, including the Bashir Reading Room, Library bookshop and cafe, were temporarily closed for a major refurbishment of the building. Changes included and improved entrance, refurbished reading rooms, and an expanded cafe and bookshop.

The Library Building

The Mitchell Building

thumb|Mitchell Building, State Library of New South Wales

By the 1890s, the library was running out of space to house its collection and accommodate staff in its building on the corner of Bent and Macquarie streets. Plans were underway for a new 'national' library building. The stimulus for this was David Scott Mitchell's offer of his extensive collection of Australiana to the people of New South Wales.

The condition of his offer was that his collection be housed either in the Public Library building or in a separate new building; The Mitchell Wing upon completion housed library reading rooms, work areas and the Mitchell bequest.

thumb|Mitchell and Dixson wings of the Mitchell Building, State Library of New South Wales

Nineteen years after the completion of the Mitchell Wing, more building took place on the site of the state library. The Dixson Wing, designed by architect Richard Macdonald Seymour Wells and completed in 1929, In 1964, the final section of the sandstone Mitchell Building was laid on the south east corner. This was designed by Alan Robertson from the Government Architect's Branch; one of the junior architects on the team was Andrew Andersons, who would later be principal architect for the design of the Macquarie Street Wing. Within 10 years the Library had outgrown this space too.

thumb|Photo Gallery, Shot Exhibition, State Library of NSW

thumb|Auditorium, State Library of New South Wales, 2023

Between 2018 and 2023 major new permanent and temporary exhibition spaces were opened in the Mitchell Building. These exhibition spaces are largely format based. On display in the Mitchell and Dixson wings are: over 300 Australian oil paintings on permanent display; a rotating 6-month exhibition of works on paper (watercolours and drawings); and a First Nations gallery which opened to the public in 2018.

The building also houses the Column Gallery, an exhibition space housed in the south-eastern side of the Mitchell building. This gallery space required a complete redesign of the old 1960s office and workspaces and was opened to the public in 2018. The building also houses a permanent photographic gallery on the Lower ground level and a map room both opened in 2018.

In 2022 work was completed on upgrading the Mitchell Library Reading Room which had remained largely unchanged since it opened to the public in 1942. Changes included new carpet, desks and chairs. The Dalgety walkway access was also filled in to allow for additional seating for readers. The Library's new 350 seat underground auditorium was opened on Sunday 29 October 2023.

The Macquarie Street Building

Further space was required for collection storage and public spaces, as well as staff work areas. Space became available south of the Mitchell Wing in the 1970s, when several buildings were demolished and Richmond Villa relocated to accommodate a new building for State Parliament, although this was initially used for temporary accommodation for parliamentary staff. and was completed in 2012.

<gallery>

File:Free Public Library, corner of Bent and Macquarie Sts, Sydney, 1877 - New South Wales Government Printing Office (2965687490).jpg|Free Public Library, 1877

File:Main reading room, Mitchell Building.jpg|Main reading room, Mitchell Building, 1943

File:Shakespeare Room, Mitchell Building.jpg|Shakespeare Room, Mitchell Building, 1943

File:Library desk, Reading Room, Mitchell Building.jpg|Library desk, Reading Room, Mitchell Building, 1943

File:Staff on Roof, Mitchell Building.jpg|Staff on Roof, Mitchell Building, 1943

File:Painting conservators, Mitchell Building.jpg|Painting conservators, Mitchell Building, 1943

File:Book Conservators, Mitchell Building.jpg|Book Conservators, Mitchell Building, 1943

File:Books for lending library, Mitchell Building.jpg|Books for lending library, Mitchell Building, 1943

File:Boxing books for the Lending Library, Mitchell Building.jpg|Boxing books for the Lending Library, Mitchell Building, 1943

File:Mitchell LIbrarian, Mitchell Building.jpg|Mitchell Librarian, Mitchell Building, 1943

File:Mitchell library 1907.jpg|Mitchell library 1907

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Governance

The library is an agency of the Ministry of Arts in the New South Wales State Government.

Library Council

Early Librarians and State Librarians

The role of the State Librarian is prescribed in the New South Wales Library Act 1939, ss 7a. The State Librarian is the Secretary of the Library Council of New South Wales. There have been 20 people appointed to manage the collections since 1827 but 1869 marks the first appointment by the NSW State Government after acquiring the Library from private hands.

{|

! Ordinal !! Name !! Title !! Term start !! Term end !! Time in office !! Notes

|-

|align=center| || Peter Cooke ||rowspan=6 |Librarian ||align=center|1827 ||align=center|1829 ||align=right|2 years ||

|-

|align=center| || Charles Henderson ||align=center|1829 ||align=center|1829 ||align=right|1 year ||

|-

|align=center| || Thomas Connolly ||align=center|1831 ||align=center|1839 ||align=right|8 years ||

|-

|align=center| || William Herbert Ifould ||align=center|1912 ||align=center|1942 ||align=right|30 Years ||rowspan=1|

|-

|align=center| || Alison Laura Crook ||align=center|1987 ||align=center|1995 ||align=right|8 years ||

|-

|align=center| || Caroline Butler-Bowdon ||rowspan=1 |State Librarian and<br />Chief Executive ||align=center|November 2023||align=center|Incumbent ||align=right| years ||

|}

Mitchell Librarian

Mitchell's bequest stipulated that a position be created called the Mitchell Librarian. There have been 10 Mitchell Librarians since 1909:

{|

! Ordinal !! Name !! Title !! Term start !! Term end !! Time in office !! Notes

|-

|align=center| || Hugh Wright ||rowspan=10 |Mitchell Librarian ||align=center|1909 ||align=center|1932 ||align=right| years ||

|-

|align=center| || Ida Leeson ||align=center|1932 ||align=center|1946 ||align=right| years ||rowspan=9|

State Library of New South Wales building was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.

:: Richardson also concurrently held the role of Deputy Principal Librarian in 1958, and was then appointed Principal Librarian in 1959. When he retired in 1973, the Mitchell Librarian position was again separated from the position of Principal Librarian.

References

Citations

Sources

; Attribution

  • State Library of New South Wales (website)
  • State Library of New South Wales at Google Cultural Institute
  • National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA)
  • ONE hundred – Celebrating the anniversary of the Mitchell Library, the website for the major showcase exhibition at the Mitchell Library, celebrating its centenary during 2010.
  • <nowiki>[</nowiki>CC-By-SA<nowiki>]</nowiki>