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Newsflash:

The Library is open on the King's Birthday public holiday, Monday 12 June 2023. View the public holiday opening hours.

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What’s got us talking

See the winners of the NSW Premier's Literary Awards

Photo of writers on stage

Explore our Pride Month events

People in the Pride Revolution exhibition

Visit the Shakespeare Room

Apply for a paid research fellowship

Card catalogue with the card for 'Fellowships' visible

Collection buzz

Take 5 stargazers

Shining a light on five celestial favourites from the collection.

Cross staff engraving by Joseph Moxon, 1686

Stars in the stacks

A rare books specialist finds that the Library holds surprises beyond the natural history books and Australiana for which its collection is renowned.

Ethel Turner gets personal

A new acquisition reveals the personal and professional lives of one of Australia’s best-known authors.

a collection of items from the Ethel Turner collection including a notepad and a photograph

The Flying Pieman of Sydney, en pointe

Anna Corkhill writes about rediscovering costume drawings for a ballet that never was.

A capital idea

Decorated initials — artworks in themselves — have a long history.

Featured events

‘Reading’ pictures - visual literacy skills

Friday
Fri 9 Jun 2023
Free
Virtual excursion

Put the ‘creative’ back into creative writing — turn a blank piece of paper into a map of your own magical land! 

Picture books lying on top of one another

Sally Young: Media Monsters

Wednesday
Wed 14 Jun 2023
Talk

Sally Young discusses her newly released book, Media Monsters: The Transformation of Australia’s Newspaper Empires, with Mela

Author headshot of Sally Young
Onsite

Send for Nellie

Thursday
Thu 15 Jun 2023
Special event

A celebration of Nellie Small – singer, entertainer and cross-dresser extraordinaire, highlighting the lived experiences of women of colour.

A black and white image of a woman holding a cigarette and smiling widely, looking out of frame.
Onsite

'Reading' pictures - visual literacy skills

Thursday
Thu 24 Aug 2023
Free
Virtual excursion

Learn to crack the code and understand the secret language of picture book illustrations.

Picture books lying on top of one another