Special Collections area

Visiting the Special Collections area

Located at the far end of the Mitchell Library Reading Room on the Ground floor in the Mitchell Library building, the Special Collections area is where you can use original and rare printed material from the Library's collections, including:

• rare books
• manuscripts
• pictures
• oral histories
• maps
• objects.

Many of these items are unique, irreplaceable or fragile.

You can also:

• use the Australian Reference collection from the shelves surrounding this area
• request and use general material from the collections
• request access to restricted material from the digital collections.

Staff in the Special Collections area can help with your research and with using the collections.

You must be over 18 years of age and have a Special Collections card to use material from these collections.

You'll then need to request items to use in the Special Collections area.

Get a Special Collections card

What you can bring into the Special Collections area

You’ll need to be aware of what you can and can't bring into this area.

You can bring:

• laptops, tablets and mobile phones
• notebooks and pencils
• cameras
• your own books, magazines and other material, but you'll need to complete a form at the Special Collections area desk first.

You can't bring a number of items, including:

• pens, ink and highlighters – we provide pencils if you don't have one
• food and drink, including bottled water
• bags, including handbags, camera bags and laptop bags – you'll need to store them in a locker
• scanners, including hand-held scanners.