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What’s got us talking

A home among the plum trees

A little notebook rescued from the Mittagong tip paints a picture of Sydney suburban life in the early 1900s.

Drawing to a close

Discover how an artist followed in the inspiring footsteps of a botanist rescued from a tragic expedition in 1848.

Backscratcher Ginger, drawing by Janet Hauser, 2017

Openbook magazine

Learn more about the Library’s new quarterly magazine about books, libraries, art & ideas.  

Top summer reads for kids

Whether your kids are looking for whacky tales or daring escapes, here are some awesome stories  to enjoy during the long lazy days of summer.

Collection buzz

The Art of the Title page

A title page has always told readers what the book is about, but sometimes with an artistic flourish.

A year like no other through photographs

Photographers have been busy documenting these unprecedented times — here’s a sample of what they’ve captured.

Item 39: Staff at The Tweed Hospital adorn personal protective equipment during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Tweed Heads

Little bits of nonsense

Explore a whimsical vision of Sydney with this newly acquired rare map.

Greetings from the heart of Sydney NSW, by Harry J. Weston. c.1930, M1 811.17/1930/1

Marian and May

A lost Sydney theatre and a forgotten American film director come together in a piece of Library ephemera.

Southern stars

The first printed European southern star chart joins the Library’s cartography collection.

Imagines coeli meridionales, printed 1781 from blocks created in 1515, by Johannes Stabius, cartographer, Albrecht Dürer, engraver

Featured events

Scholar Talk: Natural curiosity: Unseen art of the First Fleet

Scholar Talks
Tuesday
Tuesday 2 February 2021 - 11am to 12pm
Free
Talk

Louise Anemaat – Executive Director, Library & Information Services and Dixson Librarian – talks about some of the extraordinary unseen art of the First Fleet.  

Black Swan
Online

Author Talk: Summertime: Reflections on a vanishing Future

Author Talks
Thursday
Thursday 4 February 2021 - 6pm to 7pm
Free
Talk

Philosopher Danielle Celemajer comes to the Library to talk about her new book Summertime: Reflections on a vanishing Future.

Online

Starting Family History Research

Lifelong learning
Wednesday
Wednesday 17 February 2021 - 10:30am to 11:30pm
Workshop

Family history can reveal surprising and sometimes moving lost stories that enhance an individual’s understanding of who they are.

Online

The Art of Illustrating Picture Books

Lifelong learning
Saturday
Saturday 20 February 2021 - 9am to 3pm
Workshop

Join Bethany Macdonald, author, illustrator and artist, for a hands-on workshop exploring the art of illustrating picture books.