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
The Australian Subscription Library was the first library to exist outside of private collections in Australia. Started in 1826 as the 'Sydney Australian Subscription Library and Reading Room' it shortened its name to the 'Australian Subscription ...
Domain
Domain may refer to:
Mathematics
*Domain of a function, the set of input values for which the (total) function is defined
**Domain of definition of a partial function
**Natural domain of a partial function
**Domain of holomorphy of a function
* Do ...
City of Sydney
The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...
. The library is a member of the
National and State Libraries Australia
National and State Libraries Australia (NSLA), formerly National and State Libraries Australasia, is the peak body that represents the national, state and territory libraries of Australia. The libraries collaborate on and support working groups a ...
(NSLA) consortium.
The State Library of New South Wales building was designed by
Walter Liberty Vernon
Colonel Walter Liberty Vernon (11 August 184617 January 1914) was an English architect who migrated to Australia and pursued his career as an architect in Sydney, New South Wales. In his role as the New South Wales Government Architect he is ...
, assisted by H. C. L. Anderson and was built from 1905 to 1910, with further additions by Howie Bros in 1939; by FWC Powell & Sons in 1959; and by Mellocco Bros in 1964. The property was added to the
New South Wales State Heritage Register
The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...
on 2 April 1999.
History
The first library collections were part of the
Australian Subscription Library
The Australian Subscription Library was the first library to exist outside of private collections in Australia. Started in 1826 as the 'Sydney Australian Subscription Library and Reading Room' it shortened its name to the 'Australian Subscription ...
which was started by a group of wealthy Sydney citizens in 1826. It was then purchased for by the
New South Wales Government
The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governme ...
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 (1826–1900)
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. Dr James Mitchell, father of
David Scott Mitchell
David Scott Mitchell (19 March 1836 – 24 July 1907) was a collector of Australian books, founder and benefactor of the Mitchell Library, at the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney.G. D. Richardson,Mitchell, David Scott (1836–1907), ''A ...
(who would later bequeath his collection to the library), was a committee member from 1832 to 1853 and Vice President from 1856 to 1869.
In December 1827 operations began in rented premises in
Pitt Street
Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sect ...
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 foundation stone for this new building, on the corner of Bent and Macquarie Streets, was laid by Alexander Macleay and the library was opened in 1845.
Financial difficulties continued, and by 1869 the subscription library was in serious debt. The
New South Wales Government
The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governme ...
was persuaded to buy it for ( for the books and for the building). In September 1869, the Sydney Free Public Library opened its doors with a stock of 20,000 volumes. Over 60,000 people visited the library in its first year of operation as the ''Free Public Library''. Robert Cooper Walker was appointed Principal Librarian. He, in collaboration with the Trustees (led by
Charles Badham
Reverend Charles Badham (18 July 1813 – 27 February 1884) was an English classical philologist, textual critic, headmaster, and university professor, active in England and even more so in Australia.
Early life
Badham was born at Ludlow, Shro ...
), worked to expand the educational role of the library both through collection expansion and the production of printed catalogues of the library's collection.
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
The City of Sydney Library network consists of nine branch libraries and two 'library links', located in Australia within the City of Sydney Council administrational area.
History
A free public lending library service has existed in Sydney si ...
. 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
Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne.
History Roman Wallsend
In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This f ...
) and services for regional libraries from 1883. The library's collection continued to grow, causing continual storage and overcrowding problems; new additions included a
First Folio
''Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies'' is a collection of plays by William Shakespeare, commonly referred to by modern scholars as the First Folio, published in 1623, about seven years after Shakespeare's death. It is cons ...
in 1885 and the papers of
William Bligh
Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...
in 1902.
The Mitchell and Dixson bequests (1900–1929)
Australiana was a collecting focus for the library and David Scott Mitchell's collecting activities came to the attention of
Henry Charles Lennox Anderson
Henry Charles Lennox (H.C.L.) Anderson (10 May 1853 – 17 March 1924) was instrumental in the establishment of the Mitchell Library (now The State Library of New South Wales) and held the position of Principal Librarian of the New South Wales F ...
, Principal Librarian from 1893–1906. Anderson's stated aim of making the library a "National, and not a Municipal, Library" led him to collect Australiana material. 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 1898, Mitchell announced his intention to leave his collection to the people of New South Wales, subject to conditions including that the collection would be known as the "Mitchell Library". Although his offer was quickly accepted, construction of a new building to house the collection was delayed for several years.
Construction commenced in 1906, one year before Mitchell's death. Following Anderson's resignation in 1907, Frank Murcott Bladen (former head of the library's lending branch) was appointed Principal Librarian. 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
Nita Kibble (1879–1962) was the first woman to be a librarian with the State Library of New South Wales. She held the position of Principal Research Librarian from 1919 until her retirement in 1943. Kibble was a founding member of the Austra ...
was another early member of the library staff. The Mitchell Library officially opened on 8 March 1910; Mungo MacCallum, then President of the Library Board of Trustees, spoke at the opening. The public library remained in the Bent Street building.
Mitchell had not kept a catalogue of his collection, and as a result, cataloguing was an early priority for librarians in the Mitchell Library. A research department was established as part of the public library in the 1920s under the direction of Nita Kibble, while
Ida Leeson
Ida Emily Leeson (11 February 1885 – 22 January 1964) was the Mitchell Librarian at the State Library of New South Wales from December 1932 – April 1946. She was the first woman to achieve a senior management position in an Australian ...
as Head of Acquisitions researched gaps in the library's collections. Kibble's research department was later used as a model by other State Libraries when establishing similar services. 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, and led efforts to collect material. The library acquired the papers of Lachlan Macquarie and his family in 1914, Matthew Flinders in 1922, and
Abel Tasman
Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach New ...
's journal in 1926, and after World War I collected journals of soldiers from that conflict. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Library (now the
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...
), established in 1901, was also collecting Australiana material. This led to conflict over the acquisition of the papers of James Cook, which were offered at auction in London in 1923. The Trustees chose not to bid for the papers as doing so would have limited the library's Australiana acquisitions budget for several years and Ifould, already in London with hopes of purchasing the papers for the Mitchell Library, was directed instead to purchase them on behalf of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library and the Public Library of New South Wales using funds provided by the Federal Government.
Sir
William Dixson
Sir William Dixson (18 April 1870 – 17 August 1952) was an Australian businessman, collector and benefactor who bequeathed his collection of over 20,000 items of Australiana to the State Library of New South Wales, forming the ''Dixson Libr ...
offered in 1919 to leave his collection of pictures, manuscripts and other materials relating to Australiana and the Pacific (particularly early European exploration) to the library; his offer was accepted in 1924. After a series of delays construction began on a new wing to house the collection, which was opened on 21 October 1929. 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.
Growth and change (1930–1980)
Wright retired in 1932 and Ida Leeson was appointed Mitchell Librarian. 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 as the deputy for the Principal Librarian at the time. The Library Trustees appointed a committee to consider the applicants and make an appointment. Despite the committee's support of Leeson (and general support of the Trustees for appointing the most suitable candidate regardless of gender), the Minister for Public Instruction was unwilling to approve the appointment due to the assumption that the Mitchell Librarian would deputise for the Principal Librarian and an unwillingness to see a woman in that role. A new position of Deputy Principal Librarian was created and filled by John Wallace Metcalfe, a librarian who had worked in the public library for nine years. 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
Ralph W. Munn (September 19, 1894 – January 2, 1975) was an eminent figure in the field of American and international library and information science. Recognized by the journal ''American Libraries'' as one of "100 of the most important leaders ...
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'', which Ifould and Metcalfe helped to draft. Metcalfe also founded the Australian Institute of Librarians (now the
Australian Library and Information Association
The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), formerly the Australian Institute of Librarians and Library Association of Australia, is the peak professional organisation for the Australian library and information services sector. ...
) in 1937, the first professional body representing librarians, and was heavily involved in the Free Library Movement in 1935.
New indexes were created and cataloguing efforts continued to make the library's collections more accessible, while some books were placed on open access. The collection continued to grow. The Macarthur family papers were acquired in 1940, and in 1954 much of
Miles Franklin
Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin (14 October 187919 September 1954), known as Miles Franklin, was an Australian writer and feminist who is best known for her novel ''My Brilliant Career'', published by Blackwoods of Edinburgh in 1901. While ...
's personal and literary papers came to the library after her death. The remaining papers from her collection were sold at auction to a private collector, and acquired 30 years later by the library. 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.
John Metcalfe was appointed Principal Librarian in 1942 following Ifould's retirement. Four years later Ida Leeson also retired, and Phyllis Mander-Jones was appointed as her successor, after a short time as Deputy Mitchell Librarian. During her tenure she prepared a report comparing archival practice in Australia with other countries, and arranged the acquisition of additional papers of the Macarthur family and the
New South Wales Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Cour ...
's early records.
Metcalfe was an advocate for free public libraries and supported their establishment throughout his career. After Mander-Jones took leave in 1956,
Jean Arnot
Jean Fleming Arnot MBE (23 April 1903 – 27 September 1995) was an Australian librarian, trade unionist, activist for equal pay for women and feminist. She worked at the State Library of New South Wales from 1921 until her retirement in 1968. ...
was appointed Acting Mitchell Librarian. Three years later, after Metcalfe's retirement, Gordon Richardson was appointed as Principal Librarian. A series of position changes saw the Deputy Principal Librarian and Mitchell Librarians absorbed into the Principal Librarian position filled by Richardson. This situation remained until Richardson's retirement in 1973; his successor, Russell Doust, re-established the Mitchell Librarian role as a separate one and appointed Suzanne Mourot.
Dorothea Mackellar
Isobel Marion Dorothea Mackellar, (1 July 1885 – 14 January 1968) was an Australian poet and fiction writer. Her poem ''My Country'' is widely known in Australia, especially its second stanza, which begins: "''I love a sunburnt country/ ...
's papers were acquired in 1970, and
Jørn Utzon
Jørn Oberg Utzon, , Hon. FAIA (; 9 April 191829 November 2008) was a Danish architect. He was most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia, completed in 1973. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzon ...
's Sydney Opera House archive in 1972. The collection expanded in a new area with an oral history project, run in 1976, interviewing past staff members. By 1978, all government archives had been moved to the
State Records Authority of New South Wales
The State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales (commonly known as State Archives and Records NSW) is the archives and records management authority of the Government of New South Wales in Australia. It can trace its history back to the ...
(then called the Archives Authority of New South Wales), which had been established in 1960 and was housed at the library until 1978.
The library today
Computer cataloguing of the library's collections began in the 1980s. The upcoming Australian Bicentenary prompted increasing public discussion about Australian society and history, and an increasing consciousness of women's history, multiculturalism in Australian society, and Indigenous Australian societies and histories. The library responded to public discussion by increasing research into Indigenous material held at the library, creating and filling identified Indigenous Services Librarians positions in 1991, and establishing an Indigenous Unit in 2013. The Rainbow Archives project was established in the 1980s, and migrants were interviewed to record oral histories for the collection.
Russell Doust retired in 1987 and was succeeded by Alison Crook, who commenced in the role months before the opening of the new Macquarie Street Wing. 1988 also saw a major exhibition on the arrival of the First Fleet and the interactions of the European arrivals with the Indigenous people of the area, the Eora peoples.
In 1998 the library acquired two large collections. The papers of
George Bass
George Bass (; 30 January 1771 – after 5 February 1803) was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia.
Early years
Bass was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George ...
were purchased for what was then the highest price paid at auction for manuscripts related to Australian topics. The estate of
Jean Garling
Jean Garling (1907–1998) was an Australian writer, dancer, and for many years a strong supporter of dance and the performing arts, in Sydney, New South Wales. She was a founding member of the Library Society, and became a Governor Benefactor of ...
, 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
Pedro Fernandes de Queirós ( es, Pedro Fernández de Quirós) (1563–1614) was a Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain. He is best known for his involvement with Spanish voyages of discovery in the Pacific Ocean, in particular the 1595–1 ...
to King Philip appealing for funding for an expedition to the fabled
Terra Australis
(Latin: '"Southern Land'") was a hypothetical continent first posited in antiquity and which appeared on maps between the 15th and 18th centuries. Its existence was not based on any survey or direct observation, but rather on the idea that ...
. 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, Dr 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 it 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.
The Library Building
The Mitchell Building
By the 1890s, the library was running out of space to house its collection and accommodate staff. Plans were underway for a new 'national' library building. The stimulus for this was
David Scott Mitchell
David Scott Mitchell (19 March 1836 – 24 July 1907) was a collector of Australian books, founder and benefactor of the Mitchell Library, at the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney.G. D. Richardson,Mitchell, David Scott (1836–1907), ''A ...
'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; as there was no room in the Public Library building and no suitable building existed a new building was erected. Work on the Mitchell Wing of the new building began in 1906 and finished in 1910 based on designs prepared by
Walter Liberty Vernon
Colonel Walter Liberty Vernon (11 August 184617 January 1914) was an English architect who migrated to Australia and pursued his career as an architect in Sydney, New South Wales. In his role as the New South Wales Government Architect he is ...
, the Head of the Government Architect's Branch. The Mitchell Wing upon completion housed library reading rooms, work areas and the Mitchell bequest.
In 1939 work began on the central section of the building, including the portico, the ornate vestibule and its reproduced Tasman Map in marble mosaic and the main reading room. The building was ready to be used in June 1942 and the Library (as a whole) was under one roof. Bronze doors were presented by William Dixson and were decorated with a series of images depicting Indigenous Australian people and European explorers. 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.
The Mitchell Wing celebrated its centenary in 2010 and in the lead-up to its centenary (from 2001), held a series of related exhibitions and events.
The Dixson Wing
20 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, was added to the south side of the Mitchell Wing to provide storage and gallery space for the extensive collection of historical paintings presented to the library by Sir
William Dixson
Sir William Dixson (18 April 1870 – 17 August 1952) was an Australian businessman, collector and benefactor who bequeathed his collection of over 20,000 items of Australiana to the State Library of New South Wales, forming the ''Dixson Libr ...
. The galleries were refurbished in 1987 in preparation for the bicentennial exhibition held at the library in 1988.
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
Richmond Villa is a heritage-listed home located in , an inner city suburb of Sydney, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the notable colonial architect Mortimer Lewis in the Gothic Reviva ...
relocated to accommodate a new building for State Parliament, although this was initially used for temporary accommodation for parliamentary staff. Work began on the Macquarie Street Wing in 1983 and it was opened in 1988—Australia's bicentenary—by Queen
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
in company with
Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...
. The new building fronts Macquarie Street and links up with the Mitchell Wing above ground and below ground.
Andrew Andersons
Andrew Andersons (born 5 July 1942) is an Australian architect. Buildings he has designed include various extensions to art museums, a number of theatres and concert halls as well as public, commercial and residential buildings.
Background ...
of the Government Architects Office was the design architect for the Macquarie Street Wing. The Government Architects Office was again engaged in 2011 for planned renovations for the building resulting in a redesigned reading room and construction of a new learning space for education programs. Work commenced in 2011 and was completed in 2012.
Collection
The State Reference Library contains a comprehensive and diverse collection of Australian and international research material. The collections grow through purchase, other acquisitions of material and legal deposit for all books published in New South Wales. A number of specialist services are located within the State Reference Library, including the legal information service established in 1990, a drug and alcohol information service and a family history research service.
The library contains over 6 million items including more than 2 million books, 1.2 million microforms, 1.1 million photographs, as well as newspapers, maps, architectural plans, manuscripts and other items. It is part of the PANDORA web archiving project of the
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...
and also collects
born digital
''Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives'' is a book by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser exploring the consequences of the wide availability of internet connectivity to the first generation of people born to it, whom Palfr ...
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
Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...
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
Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...
Harold Lasseter
Lewis Harold Bell Lasseter (27 September 1880 - 31 January 1931), also known as Harold Lasseter, was an Australian gold prospector who claimed to have found a fabulously rich gold reef in central Australia.
Life
Lasseter was born in 1880 at Ba ...
's diary documenting his expedition in 1930 searching for gold.
*
George Augustus Robinson
George Augustus Robinson (22 March 1791 – 18 October 1866) was a British-born colonial official and self-trained preacher in colonial Australia. In 1824, Robinson travelled to Hobart, Van Diemen’s Land, where he attempted to negotiate ...
's journal from 1832 recording his activities in Tasmania, notable for the detailed information he recorded about the local
Aboriginal people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
he encountered.
*
The Holtermann Collection
The Holtermann Collection is the name given to a collection of over 3,500 glass-plate negatives and albumen prints, many of which depict life in New South Wales goldfield towns. It also includes numerous photographs of Australian rural towns a ...
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. 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' Antarctic colour plates of Shackleton's
Endurance
Endurance (also related to sufferance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from an ...
as well as his colour Paget plates fro World War One
*Th 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 ''New South Wales General Standing Orders'' was the first compilation of government orders and notices intended to inform colonists of the law as it stood in 1802 after the arrival of the First Fleet. It was the first book to be printed in Au ...
'', the first book published in Australia.
File:Leaves from Botany Bay used as tea 1791 a928933.jpg, Leaves from Botany Bay used as tea by
Mary Bryant
Mary Bryant (1765 – after 1794) was a Cornish convict sent to Australia. She became one of the first successful escapees from the fledgling Australian penal colony.
Early life
Bryant was born Mary Broad (referred to as Mary Braund at the ...
(1791)
File:Holey dollar coinage NSW 1813 a128577 01.jpg,
Holey dollar
Holey dollar is the name given to coins used in the early history of two British settlements: Prince Edward Island (now part of Canada) and New South Wales (now part of Australia). The middle was punched out of Spanish dollars, creating two pa ...
and dump first distinct NSW coinage (1813)
File:Macquarie collectors chest 1818 a1089004.jpg, Macquarie collector's chest, constructed by Captain James Wallis (1818)
File:Gov Davey's proclamation-edit2.jpg, Proclamation board issued by
George Arthur
Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet (21 June 1784 – 19 September 1854) was Lieutenant Governor of British Honduras from 1814 to 1822 and of Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania) from 1823 to 1836. The campaign against Aboriginal Tasmani ...
(1828–1830)
File:Port Macquarie, NSW painted by Joseph Backler a128942h.jpg, ''Port Macquarie, New South Wales'' by
Joseph Backler
Joseph Backler (24 May 1813 – 22 October 1895) was an English-born Australian painter. Transported to Australia as a convict in 1832, he obtained a ticket of leave in 1842 and was active as a painter from 1842 to 1880.
Early life and transpo ...
(–1840)
File:Dr William Bland ca 1845 - portrait a128689.jpg, Dr
William Bland
William Bland (5 November 1789 – 21 July 1868) was a transported convict, medical practitioner and surgeon, politician, farmer and inventor in the Colony of New South Wales, Australia.
Early life
Bland was born in London on 5 November 1789 ...
– the oldest-surviving Australian photograph ()
File:Cabbage Trees near the Shoalhaven River NSW 1860 Eugene von Guerard a1528199.jpg, ''Cabbage Trees near the Shoalhaven River'', by
Eugene von Guerard
Johann Joseph Eugene von GuérardHis first name is variously spelled "Eugen", "Eugene", "Eugène", one source mentions "Jean" (instead of "Johann"); his surname is spelled "Guerard" or "Guérard". The most frequent combination is that used by t ...
Frank Hurley
James Francis "Frank" Hurley (15 October 1885 – 16 January 1962) was an Australian photographer and adventurer. He participated in a number of expeditions to Antarctica and served as an official photographer with Australian forces durin ...
(1915)
File:Cover of Marcus Clarks' spring & summer catalogue 1926-27.jpg, Cover of Marcus Clarks' spring & summer catalogue 1926-27
File:Man and woman on a Malvern Star abreast tandem bicycle, c. 1930s, by Sam Hood.jpg, Photos of Sydney 1916–1955 by
Sam Hood
Samuel John Hood (20 August 1872 in South Australia - 8 June 1953) was an Australian photographer and photojournalist whose career spanned from the 1880s to the 1950s. and in 1992 for pictures and manuscripts. 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. It was followed by further digitisation of manuscript and picture collections including the papers of Matthew Flinders, the Hood collection of photographs by
Sam Hood
Samuel John Hood (20 August 1872 in South Australia - 8 June 1953) was an Australian photographer and photojournalist whose career spanned from the 1880s to the 1950s.Holtermann Collection
The Holtermann Collection is the name given to a collection of over 3,500 glass-plate negatives and albumen prints, many of which depict life in New South Wales goldfield towns. It also includes numerous photographs of Australian rural towns a ...
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.
Legal deposit
In Australia,
legal deposit
Legal deposit is a legal requirement that a person or group submit copies of their publications to a repository, usually a library. The number of copies required varies from country to country. Typically, the national library is the primary reposi ...
legislation exists at the national and state levels to support the provision of access to Australian research, heritage and culture. The ''
Copyright Act 1968
The copyright law of Australia defines the legally enforceable rights of creators of creative and artistic works under Australian law. The scope of copyright in Australia is defined in the '' Copyright Act 1968'' (as amended), which applies the ...
'' 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. The State Library of New South Wales, along with New South Wales Parliamentary Library and
University of Sydney Library
The University of Sydney Library is the library system of the University of Sydney. It comprises eight locations across several campuses of the university. Its largest library, Fisher Library, is named after Thomas Fisher, an early benefactor.
A ...
are entitled to "receive a copy of every book first published in New South Wales within two months of publication. 'Book' is defined in the Act as any book, newspaper, pamphlet, leaflet, music, map, chart or plan separately published and 'bound', sewed or stitched together'."
As a member library of
National and State Libraries Australia
National and State Libraries Australia (NSLA), formerly National and State Libraries Australasia, is the peak body that represents the national, state and territory libraries of Australia. The libraries collaborate on and support working groups a ...
, the organisation collaborated on the creation of the
National edeposit
National edeposit (NED) is a collaboration between Australia's nine national, state and territory libraries which provides for the legal deposit, management, storage and preservation of, and access to, published electronic material across Aus ...
(NED) system, which enables publishers from all over Australia to upload electronic publications as per the 2016 amendment to the ''Copyright Act 1968'' and other regional legislation, and makes these publications publicly accessible online (depending on access conditions) from anywhere.
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
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. The library provides information, professional development programs, advice and the payment of grants and subsidies to
local authorities
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
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
The ''Koori Mail'' is an Australian newspaper written and owned by Indigenous Australians since 1991. It is published fortnightly in printed form and electronic copies are available. Owned by five community-based Aboriginal organisations based ...
'', covering from May 1991 to July 2016, as well as to biographical information from various magazines, including ''
Identity
Identity may refer to:
* Identity document
* Identity (philosophy)
* Identity (social science)
* Identity (mathematics)
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film
* ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...
'' (1971-1982); ''
Our AIM
Australian Indigenous Ministries, formerly Aborigines Inland Mission of Australia (both AIM), is an interdenominational Christian organisation that provides ministries to Aboriginal Australians. Aborigines Inland Mission of Australia was establi ...
'' (1907-1961); and '' Dawn'' (1952-1969) / ''New Dawn'' (1970-1975).
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 19 people appointed to manage the collections since 1827.
Mitchell Librarian
Mitchell's bequest stipulated that a position be created called the Mitchell Librarian. There have been 10 Mitchell Librarians since 1909:
Transport connections
Heritage listing
As of 21 March 2001, the public library of New South Wales houses a public facility initiated in 1869 and is one of the most important libraries in Australia. It was the second purpose-built library and the only remaining public library in Sydney dating from the early twentieth century. The building is still in use and has a lengthy association with several historically important persons such as Government Architect WL Vernon. It is significant for the prominent position it occupies at the termination of one of the most historically important streetscapes in Australia. The building is of aesthetic significance reflecting important stylistic influences on the architecture of the twentieth century. The library is a recognised symbol in Sydney and has had a long association with the provision of library services to the local and regional community of New South Wales. The development and interior layout of the progressive stages of the building reflect the changing attitudes to library planning theory. It is significant as one of the only Government buildings in the
Federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...
Academic Classical styles. Only two of these are cultural buildings, the other being the Art Gallery of NSW.Noel Bell Ridley Smith & Partners, 1999
State Library of New South Wales building was listed on the
New South Wales State Heritage Register
The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...
on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.
The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.
The Mitchell Wing has been in continuous use as a public library since its completion in 1907. The building is the second purpose-built library in Sydney, and the earliest remaining. The Mitchell Wing is specifically associated with a number of prominent Sydney residents who have acted as benefactors, librarians, architects and craftsmen on the building. The bequests of three people, namely Edward Wise,
David Scott Mitchell
David Scott Mitchell (19 March 1836 – 24 July 1907) was a collector of Australian books, founder and benefactor of the Mitchell Library, at the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney.G. D. Richardson,Mitchell, David Scott (1836–1907), ''A ...
and
William Dixson
Sir William Dixson (18 April 1870 – 17 August 1952) was an Australian businessman, collector and benefactor who bequeathed his collection of over 20,000 items of Australiana to the State Library of New South Wales, forming the ''Dixson Libr ...
formed the basis of the collections. The Mitchell Wing houses a unique collection of Australiana and reference material held in Trust by the State Library of New South Wales for the general public. The building is closely associated with the development of the NSW Government Architect's Office and particularly with the work of Walter Liberty Vernon, Richard McDonald Seymour Wells, Cobden
Parkes Parkes may refer to:
* Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation
Named for Henry Parkes
* Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town
* Parkes Observatory, a radi ...
and Edward Herbert Farmer.
The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.
The building, as the repository of a unique collection of Australiana, is crucial to the community's sense of place. The importance of the building to the community is demonstrated in part by its completion in the early 1940s when other public works had been severely reduced by World War II. The inclusion of the Mitchell Wing on a number of Commonwealth, State and Local heritage registers indicates the value placed on the building by the community.
The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.
The original Mitchell Stack of steel and glass was regarded as highly innovative at the time of its construction. The two-storey stack area is now a unique example of a highly resolved design solution addressing structure, lighting and aesthetics. The building was the first public building in New South Wales, apart from hospitals, to have been fully air-conditioned.
The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.
The building is a rare example of the Academic Neo-Classical style used for public buildings in Sydney. It is also a rare building type within the state.
National Biography Award
The National Biography Award, established in Australia in 1996, is awarded for the best published work of biographical or autobiographical writing by an Australian. It aims "to encourage the highest standards of writing biography and autobiography ...
*
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, t ...
*
New South Wales Premier's History Awards
The NSW Premier's History Awards honour distinguished achievement in the interpretation of history, through both the written word and non-print media by Australian citizens and permanent residents of Australia.
History
The State Government of New ...
Nita Kibble Literary Award
The Kibble Literary Awards comprise two awards—the Nita B Kibble Literary Award, which recognises the work of an established Australian female writer, and the Dobbie Literary Award, which is for a first published work by a female writer. The Awar ...
*
Trim (cat)
Trim was a ship's cat who accompanied Matthew Flinders on his voyages to circumnavigate and map the coastline of Australia in 1801–1803.
Biography
Trim was born in 1799 aboard the ship on a voyage from the Cape of Good Hope to Botany ...
, Matthew Flinders ship's cat; the library has a statue, memorial plaque and namesake cafe in his honour
Notes
:: The library's logo features the
interrobang
The interrobang (), also known as the interabang (often represented by any of ?!, !?, ?!? or !?!), is an unconventional punctuation mark used in various written languages and intended to combine the functions of the question mark, or interro ...
Seven and the Ragged Tiger
''Seven and the Ragged Tiger'' is the third studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 21 November 1983 through EMI and Capitol Records. It was co-produced by Alex Sadkin, Ian Little and the band. Following their deci ...
'' were held at the library in 1983.GusWorld: Duran Duran /ref>
:: 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.
Creative Commons license">CC-By-SA
A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted "work".A "work" is any creative material made by a person. A painting, a graphic, a book, a song/lyrics ...