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What’s got us talking

Catch up with lawyer, artist and advocate Amani Haydar.

Portrait of Amani Haydar

Ever considered using maps to get to know your ancestors?

Explore business opportunities with Company360.

Turn your lockdown moments into history.

Collection buzz

Take 5 lighthouses

Discover some of the oldest and most unique lighthouses across NSW – from Eden to Wollongong, Norah Head to Cape Byron.

Spine tingling

Looking closely at the spine could unlock the mystery of a rare book, or it could raise more questions.

Book spines

130 years of the Kelmscott Press

William Morris (1834–1896) — British artist, designer, craftsman, writer and socialist — established the Kelmscott Press at Hammersmith, London, in January 1891.

Kelmscott Press Printers device

War diaries of George Gittoes

A selection of visual diaries of Australian artist George Gittoes, covering the period between 2001 and 2014, have been recently digitised by the Library.

Detail from Image 8, Item 24: George Gittoes art diary, ca. April 2009-ca. December 2009

Kathleen’s voyage: A love story

These beautifully illustrated logbooks record a detailed account of the circumnavigation of the world by the deep-sea cruising yacht Kathleen Gillett.

Detail: [The Kathleen Gillet in full sail], oil on card, Kathleen's voyage number 2, Thursday Island to Christmas Island, July-August 1947

Featured events

HSC Help 2021

Schools
HSC help!
Thursday
Thursday 23 September 2021 - 9:30am to 4pm
Free
Workshop

Join the State Library for a FREE help day for HSC students in the lead up to exams.  

Students in the Library

A Foreign Country: Travels through the Past

A Foreign Country: Travels through the Past
Tuesday
Tuesday 28 September 2021 - 5:30pm to 6:30pm
Free
Talk

This talk is presented as part of 'A Foreign Country: Travels through the Past', a series of fortnightly lectures hosted by the State Library of NSW on Tuesday evenings at 5.30 pm between 31 August and 9 November 2021

Black and white image of lady reading as a desk
Online

Leaping into Waterfalls

Author Talks
Wednesday
Wednesday 29 September 2021 - 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Free
Talk

Celebrate Bernadette Brennan's latest release, Leaping into Waterfalls, which explores the rich, tumultuous life of Gillian Mears, one of Australia’s most significant writers of the last 40 years.  

Author Bernadette Brennan holding a copy of book Leaping into Waterfalls
Online

The B List with Bri Lee and Sarah Dingle

The B List bookclub
Thursday
Thursday 30 September 2021 - 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Free
Talk

Each month Bri is in conversation with a contemporary author followed by a Q&A session. Author Sarah Dingle joins the book club to talk about her novel Brave New Humans. 

Bri Lee holding the book Brave New Humans
Online