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Stories

Showcasing people, places and ideas inspired by the collection and the library community.

Stories

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Aboriginal Australians Art and Design Behind the Scenes Biography  Exhibition Exploration History Literature Mapping Natural World Openbook Photography World War I

Latest stories

Fit for a queen

by Phillipa McGuinness

A luncheon inspired by the Queen’s 1954 visit.

Photo of table set with meringues and tea cups

A capital idea

by Maggie Patton

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

Rain and Blood

by Mykaela Saunders

A poem.

Illustration of nature scene with fish, a snake, a frog and other animals around a body of water.

The recalcitrant priest

by Damian Gleeson

The little-explored Therry papers, one of the Library’s largest nineteenth-century manuscript collections, are a window into the early penal colony of NSW.

A drawing of a man sitting at a desk, writing by candlelight. He is surrounded by letters.

Featured

Dyarubbin

Dyarubbin, the Hawkesbury River, begins at the confluence of the Grose and Nepean rivers and ends at Broken Bay. This long, winding and ancient river has been home to the Darug people for millennia and is a vital and sustaining resource.

The Dyarubbin (Hawkesbury) River, photographed from Sackville for Exploring Dyarubbin exhibition / Photo by Joy Lai

The real secret river: exploring Dyarubbin

by Grace Karskens

A list of Aboriginal placenames was a trigger for seeking the ‘real secret river’.

A landscape photograph depicting a misty river as viewed through a break in tree cover.

Sydney Elders

In Aboriginal communities, our elders are our libraries; they hold our knowledge and connect us to our past while strengthening our future

Photograph of four elders

Coming Out in the 70s

Gay and lesbian life went public in the 70s. Speaking up and standing out, gay men and women took to the streets proudly demanding to be seen, heard and accepted.  

These chapters draw from stories and records in the Library’s collection to explore how the gay and lesbian rights movement emerged in NSW in the 1970s.