Skip to main content
  • Plan your visit
  • Join
  • Give
  • Our partners
  • Log In
  • Shop
Home
State Library of NSW
  • What’s On
  • Research and Collections
  • Stories
  • Learning
  • Plan your visit
  • Join
  • Give
  • Our partners
  • Log In
  • Shop
  • Search catalogue
  • Search website
  • Try new catalogue

Preview our new catalogue   

Preview our new catalogue   

  • Plan your visit
  • Join
  • Give
  • Our partners
  • Log In
  • Shop

What's On

  • Talks
  • Exhibitions
  • Tours
  • Workshops
  • Events online
  • Exhibition audio guides
  • Podcasts
  • More What's On

Research & Collections

  • Catalogues and search
  • Eresources
  • Using the Library
  • Research guides
  • Multilingual information and services
  • About our collections
  • Significant collections
  • Building our collections
  • Research and engagement
  • More Research & Collections

Stories

  • Aboriginal Australians
  • Art and design
  • Behind the scenes
  • Biography
  • Exhibitions
  • Exploration
  • History
  • Books and literature
  • Natural world
  • Photography
  • World War I
  • More Stories

Learning

  • Schools & teachers
  • Kids & families
  • Lifelong learners
  • Tertiary students
  • HSC 2021
  • More Learning
  • ABOUT THE LIBRARY
  • INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT
  • FELLOWSHIPS
  • Give to the Library
  • Opening hours
  • Get a library card
  • Ask a Librarian
  • Book a study room

FEATURED

  • News
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Social media posts
Salon series identity - badges

Salon Series

Coming out in the 70s

Photos1440

Visit the Library's specialist sites

  • Public Library Services
  • Multicultural Services
  • Library Shop
  • DX Lab
  • Manuscript transcription tool
  • Amplify: audio transcriptions
  • Joseph Banks Papers
  • Painting by Numbers
  • Dictionary of Sydney
  • Gather
  • Find Legal Answers
  • Drug Info
Hide message

Newsflash:

Please read our special conditions of entry before visiting us.

Social feeds

Join the conversation

View our most recent social media posts and a list of all our accounts  

Attention #History teachers & students! Come along to our free workshop on Wed 10 March at 3.30pm and find out how to access the best #OnlineResources to support your #HistoryExtension major work.

#Free online workshop, register here: https://t.co/j65LbvVemS https://t.co/J3ZNMBkj7U
Posted at 4 March 2021 - 4:00pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
📚 Calling all readers! Join writer & podcaster @NicoleAbadee for a three-part literary series where she interviews acclaimed authors Robert Drewe, @AnnaFunder and Markus Zusak.

More info, book now: https://t.co/UhnAKAjPUf https://t.co/jK4sZC4feY
Posted at 4 March 2021 - 3:00pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
@Library_Vic @slqld @statelibrarywa @SLSA @LibrariesACT @nlagovau Thanks for tagging us! 😘

🚫 Less vs. Fewer
🚫 Affect vs. Effect
🚫 Library’s vs. Libraries
🚫 Complementary vs. Complimentary
Posted at 4 March 2021 - 2:18pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
Today's featured public library is #CastleHill Library, part of @TheHillsCouncil. #ALibraryADay #NSWPublicLibraries

#CastleHillLibrary has a castle and a dragon! 🐲🏰 Enjoy a coffee and some cake from the café as you relax in the comfy lounge chairs.

https://t.co/Fa6OUnj1Ki https://t.co/Ty2rRcZXcp
Posted at 4 March 2021 - 2:00pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
Discover the lives of ten remarkable Australians with author Ian MacFarlane on Saturday 13 March, 2pm. #AuthorTalk

#Free online event, register here: https://t.co/qk1cWH4rmf https://t.co/J8NyzsjCH8
Posted at 4 March 2021 - 12:00pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
Louise Crossley, one of the first female station leaders at #MawsonStation in #Antarctica, speaks about working at a mostly male station in 1991. #WomensHistoryMonth @AusAntarctic ❄️

🎧 Listen to her interview & help us transcribe @Amplify: https://t.co/YkMOZVtYKH https://t.co/K79xTMaqDE
Posted at 4 March 2021 - 10:00am by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
We always knew we were cool 😎 but it's still nice to see. 😉 Thanks @UrbanListSYD!

Read about '6 of the coolest libraries in #Sydney' (including 'the OG of libraries in Australia’...us!) here: https://t.co/324RvlLXT5 https://t.co/GeIOsRU6id
Posted at 4 March 2021 - 9:05am by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
Happy #WorldWildlifeDay! 🐭 These cute tree-dwelling marsupials are called Brush-tailed Phascogales. They are listed as a vulnerable species in #NSW on @nswenviromedia.

📘’The Mammals of Australia’ by John Gould, 1863. https://t.co/1SqtjF08SE https://t.co/bAKKlXp1Un
Posted at 3 March 2021 - 6:45pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
🙌 Introducing the #ArtIndex! Created by our #DXLab. It brings the first 50 years of European art exhibitions in Australia to life through interactive #DataVis.

🎨 See it in action: https://t.co/fP3QN7jx37

💭 Learn about the project: https://t.co/66ykwVJ7BC https://t.co/g07OzA59Pj
Posted at 3 March 2021 - 3:30pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
Today's featured public library is Carnes Hill Library, part of @Lpool_Council. #ALibraryADay #NSWPublicLibraries

#CarnesHill is Liverpool City Library's newest branch, which opened in 2016!

https://t.co/zcfWVpnIw0 https://t.co/kDnqqtqaE1
Posted at 3 March 2021 - 2:00pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
@meredithlake1 While the Library holds material relating to this ancient country – related to language, stories and customs – this is the oldest physical item in our collection.
Posted at 3 March 2021 - 1:02pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
Looking forward to #HistoryMatters tonight at 5.30pm! Historian @sophiecouchman and filmmaker Martha Ansara will join us to discuss their fascinating #WomensHistory projects. #WomensHistoryMonth @pha_nsw

#Free online talk, register here:
https://t.co/cCPAXqkvTA https://t.co/tKfrz8DTOF
Posted at 3 March 2021 - 1:00pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
Luna Park lighted windmill, November 1948, by Brian Bird
Posted at 3 March 2021 - 9:41am by statelibraryofnsw
@Rafflespek0 Try this link https://t.co/MO0D4z2F3d
Posted at 2 March 2021 - 7:17pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
Ever wonder what the oldest item in our collection is? The answer is a clay tablet! #OldStuffDay ✨

This rare tablet is almost 4000 years old and was written in ancient Sumerian cuneiform in the late 19th to early 18th century BCE.

Learn more: https://t.co/SBIBU0a8JE https://t.co/Dz63ewM9o6
Posted at 2 March 2021 - 4:35pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
Today's featured public library is #Campsie Library & Knowledge Center, part of @ourcbcity #ALibraryADay #NSWPublicLibraries

#CampsieLibrary is a dynamic community hub for people of all ages and cultures! We love their festive #LunarNewYear display. 🐲

https://t.co/5rMp02762z https://t.co/TOwUwQyi4n
Posted at 2 March 2021 - 2:00pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
📔 John Englart’s diary and photographs are on display in our #ComingOutInThe70s exhibition until 16 May 2021. @sydneymardigras #MardiGras2021

Visit onsite: https://t.co/1WrLOmft4g

Or online: https://t.co/G0crMSnGjJ https://t.co/MRvLCsGQNp
Posted at 2 March 2021 - 12:13pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
🏳️‍🌈Before @sydneymardigras in 1978, Australia’s first national gay pride festival was #GayPride Week in 1973.

The explosion of 70s grassroots activism is brought to life in the diaries & photos of activist John Englart. #ComingOutInThe70s

Read more: https://t.co/mLMQdZDNi7 https://t.co/LJZX9ScQ7U
Posted at 2 March 2021 - 12:00pm by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
⏰ There is still time to register! Join Library Fellow @JarrodHore at 11am today as he shares his research into ‘Landscaping Eastern Australia through the Colonial Survey’. #ScholarTalk

#Free, register here: https://t.co/zqK0NsPAQS https://t.co/prPD0k8HqI
Posted at 2 March 2021 - 9:00am by State Library of NSW
  • Tweet
  • Retweet
  • Like
Table Bay, Cape Town South Africa, c. 1861,
Posted at 1 March 2021 - 2:00pm by statelibraryofnsw
Pyrmont Quarry Sydney, 1893, by A. Tischbauer
Posted at 26 February 2021 - 1:00pm by statelibraryofnsw
Barbara Blane, shadow-ballet dancer at the Tivoli, 5 January 1939, by Ray Olson
Posted at 24 February 2021 - 11:10am by statelibraryofnsw
Wheat silos under construction, Glebe Island, Sydney, c. 1921, by Arthur Ernest Foster
Posted at 23 February 2021 - 10:24am by statelibraryofnsw
Early stages of the construction of the wheat silos, Glebe Island, Sydney, 28 September 1920, by Arthur Ernest Foster
Posted at 22 February 2021 - 9:54am by statelibraryofnsw
J. Baptiste, hairdressing/barber's saloon, Hill End gold fields, ca. 1872
Posted at 19 February 2021 - 10:14am by statelibraryofnsw
Midnight sun, over the Ross Sea, Antarctic, December 1910
Posted at 17 February 2021 - 8:55am by statelibraryofnsw
Studio portrait of Henry Lawson, ca. 1915, by May Moore
Posted at 15 February 2021 - 9:16am by statelibraryofnsw
Weekend, 1940, by Max Dupain
Posted at 12 February 2021 - 8:56am by statelibraryofnsw
Spalding's Sporting Goods Store, 1941, by Sam Hood
Posted at 10 February 2021 - 8:34am by statelibraryofnsw
Signal station, South Head, Sydney, c. 1940, Sam Hood
Posted at 8 February 2021 - 3:57pm by statelibraryofnsw
Rosaleen Norton, Kings Cross, Sydney, 21 June 1943
Posted at 8 February 2021 - 2:07pm by statelibraryofnsw
1912 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost with 1936 coachwork (taken for Liberty Motors), outside Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 20 April 1937, by Sam Hood
Posted at 5 February 2021 - 10:04am by statelibraryofnsw
Heat wave in Sydney, 4 January 1946
Posted at 3 February 2021 - 9:19am by statelibraryofnsw
'Braeside' or 'Burnside' under construction, Kidman & Mayoh, shipbuilders, Kissing Point Park, Ryde, Sydney, c. 1920, Arthur Ernest Foster
Posted at 1 February 2021 - 9:31am by statelibraryofnsw
Braeside' and 'Burnside' under construction, Kidman & Mayoh, shipbuilders, Kissing Point Park, Ryde, Sydney, c. 1920, Arthur Ernest Foster
Posted at 29 January 2021 - 2:35pm by statelibraryofnsw
Port Jackson from Dawes Point, ca. 1842, attributed to John Skinner Prout
Posted at 27 January 2021 - 9:20am by statelibraryofnsw
Strikers during lockout, at Broken Hill, 1909, photographer unknown
Posted at 25 January 2021 - 8:45am by statelibraryofnsw
Pelicans and Swans, Zoo at Night, 28 January 1938
Posted at 22 January 2021 - 8:11am by statelibraryofnsw

Join the conversation

NewsBlogsPodcasts

View our most recent social media posts
View a list of all our accounts

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Flickr
  • Pinterest
  • History Pin
Back to top State Library of NSW logo

Contact Us

Corner of Macquarie Street and
Shakespeare Place
Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
+61 2 9273 1414

Plan your Visit

Today's Opening Hours

Exhibition Galleries
  1. 10 am to 5 pm
Reading Rooms
  1. 10 am to 5 pm
The Library Shop
  1. 10 am to 5 pm
Shakespeare Room
  1. closed
Library Cafe
  1. 10 am to 5 pm
Friends Room
  1. 10 am to 5 pm

Subscribe to newsletters

Recent News

Bligh’s Bounty logbooks recognised by UNESCO
Friday
26/02/2021
New Map Rooms coming soon
Friday
26/02/2021

More Library News Blogs RSS

We provide advice and support to all public libraries and local councils in NSW.

Public Library Services

 

© 2021 by State Library of NSW.

Creative Commons Licence

Free for reuse - unless otherwise stated, this content is licensed under  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.

You are free to copy, distribute, remix and build upon this content as long as you credit the author and the State Library of NSW as the source. For suggested attribution, see our copyright page.

About the library

  • Access and inclusion
  • Ask a Librarian
  • Awards
  • Executive
  • Fellowships
  • Foundation
  • Jobs at the State Library
  • Library Council
  • Media Centre
  • Policies
  • Publications
  • Services
  • Venue hire

Accessing Sydney Collectively logo is an upper case letter A with a stylised human figure in the centre. A round head, arms outstretched, and body is wearing what looks like a dress. The figure is reaching out expansively with the word access next to the logo.

NSW Government logo

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Right to information
  • Website Accessibility
  • Contact Us
  • Feedback
  • Site map