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Research and Collections

Crop of Wendy Sharpes painting of the Mitchell Library

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A powerful single search tool to discover material from the Library'south collections.

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Eresources

Notice full-text manufactures, newspapers and images.

Ebooks

Become directly to a list of ebooks in the Catalogue.

Accessing the collection

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Almost our collections The collection is large, diverse and surprising! Learn nearly the singled-out collections that we nurture for current and future generations.

Significant collections These are unique and highly valued specific collections.

Richardson Collection

This is a unique collection of early bibles, medieval manuscripts and early printed works

Illustration of Christ and saints
Three books piled ontop of each other

Globe War I collection

The Library began collecting the personal diaries and correspondence of men and women who served in the Start Globe War before long later the Armistice was alleged in Nov 1918.

Photograph of leather bound journals and diaries

First Fleet Drove

The First Fleet Collection includes journals, letters, drawings, maps and charts created past those who travelled with the First Fleet of British ships to Commonwealth of australia. Information technology is one of the Library's most pregnant and valuable collections.

Sir Joseph Banks Papers, 1767-1822

The Joseph Banks collection includes journals, correspondence, letters received, reports, invoices and accounts, and some maps, charts and watercolours.

A portrait of the young Joseph Banks in cloak

Angus & Robertson Drove

The Angus & Robertson collections chart the development of Australian literature, providing all-encompassing and valuable resources for the study of Australian writing and publishing.

Shakespeare Folios

The 4 Shakespeare Folios are one of the nearly important collections in the Library. These are the earliest texts of William Shakespeare's work, published in the 17th century.

Subdivision plans

The Library has a large collection of real estate or subdivision plans dating from the 1860s to the 1950s. These plans show the expansion of suburbs in Sydney and regional New South Wales as large tracts of land were divided into smaller plots.

Advertisement  for sale of railway bridge Como

George Morrison Collection

A comprehensive collection of the personal papers of a remarkable Australian also known as 'Morrison of Peking'.

Illustration of soldiers shooting peasants in red caps

Holtermann Collection

The Holtermann Collection of 3,500 glass plate negatives from the 1870s has been recognised in the UNESCO Australian Memory of the Earth register.

Cervantes Drove

The Cervantes collection was gathered over thirty years past Dr Ben Haneman. The collection includes over 1100 editions of Don Quixote, and hundreds of additional works on Cervantes

Front page of book La Mancha

Fairfax Business Annal

The recently acquired Fairfax Media business archive tells the history of an iconic Australian Company.

The main library of John Fairfax & Sons in Hunter Street, Sydney, cir. 1930

Social Media Archive

Collecting digital material to provide a documentary record of life in New South Wales

Social media archive- emotion flower
Red Cross nurses

Edifice our collections What we collect and how nosotros care for and share the Library's collections.

What the Library collects

The Library collects material that documents life in New Due south Wales, from the earliest times to the nowadays day.

Books on shelf with bookmarks behind plastic

Contemporary collecting priorities

The Library adds thousands of items to the collection every year. Some of the nigh valued additions are acquired from members of the community.

The Diary Files

The Diary Files collects vignettes from the everyday lives of the people of NSW and across.

The Diary Files

Caring for the collections

The Collections Care branch carries out vital piece of work in preserving, restoring and maintaining the Library's rich collections.

Hands picking at strands of paper on map
Woman putting glass screen under camera

Legal deposit

All NSW publishers are required to eolith their publications with the Library.

books
Old books and parchments

Research & Engagement We actively foster the use, scholarship, and significance of the collections.

Scholar Talks

Scholar Talks  is a series of events that gives a forum for researchers to exchange ideas and learn about some of the many other inquiry projects being pursued at the Library

Mapping the Pacific Conference

A ii-day conference examining traditional wayfinding knowledge of the Pacific community, European exploration and the mapping of the Pacific.

Detailed, hand-drawn map of the Americas and the Pacific Ocean.

Digital volunteering

By participating in ane of our digital projects you will be contributing to the comeback and  enrichment of our collections.

Group of musicians gathered in Nimbin
Group of people in conference room using laptops

Critics' Picks

In that location are over ii,000 new books to scan and read in our Critics' Picks section onsite.

Hand holding up book titled 'Fun at Home' with book shelves in the background

Specialist websites

Resources of interest for specific communities.

Observe Legal Answers

A free legal information service for the New South Wales community. This service is co-ordinated past staff of the Legal Data Access Centre (LIAC).

Young woman looking at a collection of books

Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary is a website about the history of Sydney, created in collaboration with hundreds of historians, local librarians, specialists and institutions.

Drug Info

Find upward-to-date information about alcohol and drugs. The website is regularly updated by specialist staff at the State Library of New South Wales in consultation with experts in the field.

Drug Info Poster White version image

Rediscovering Indigenous Languages

The Rediscovering Indigenous Languages project aims to make accessible the rich archival collections of the State Library of New Southward Wales. The site features celebrated discussion lists, records and other documents relating to Indigenous Australian languages.