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Behind the scenes

Read about the history of the Library and meet the staff who bring our collections to life.

Behind the scenes

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A capital idea

by Maggie Patton

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

Reconstructing the Holtermann: the world's largest collodion glass-plate negatives

What do you do when one of the world’s largest wet-plate glass negatives, weighing over 30 kilos, smashes into hundreds of pieces?

The thickness of the trays allowed the weight of the glass to be supported without bowing, which in previous tests, had resulted in distortion patterns.

Following the river

by Marika Duczynski

Darug people share a deeper story of Dyarubbin, the Hawkesbury River.

Dyarubbin, the Hawkesbury River, from above Sackville Reach, photo by Joy Lai

The Gatherings Order 

by Elise Edmonds

A behind the scenes look at the new podcast series exploring the last great influenza pandemic in 1919.

Curating Eight Days in Kamay

by Damien Webb

In 1770 the Gweagal people of Kamay (Botany Bay) discovered James Cook and the Endeavour. The Library’s new exhibition explores the eight days that followed.

‘Unprecedented’: the Library through two pandemics

by Elise Edmonds

The extraordinary events of the past few months are unprecedented in our lifetimes, but the response to the Covid-19 pandemic contains echoes of the 1918–19 influenza outbreak. The Library is one of many institutions following the lead of our forebears.

Two different men, one wearing a mask

The Library at war: 1939–1943

by Andrew Tink

While the Nazis had conquered Western Europe in 1940 and threatened Britain’s very existence, the State Library had continued on much as it had before the war.

Armidale Teachers College, September 1937

150 years ago: the Free Public Library

by Richard Neville

A vital public institution.

An illustration depicting a lavish gathering of gentlemen.

Living language: Aboriginal languages in New South Wales

by Damien Webb, Melissa Jackson, Marika Duczynski and Ronald Briggs

A major exhibition opening in July at the Library will celebrate UNESCO’s International Year of Indigenous Languages.

Two women, lit up by projected words.

Mitchell or burn: the Thompson family papers

by Penny Russell

Sifting through the ‘glorious clutter’ of the Thompson family papers offers a sense of early Sydney life and insights into several significant local families.

Hands holding a lit match to a burning piece of paper.

Behind the scenes in our new galleries

by Cathy Perkins

We’ve almost doubled our gallery space to show more of the Library’s collection and give exhibition visitors a chance to make their own connections.

Curator Anna Corkhill researching picture collections, photo by Joy Lai

Arresting gaze

by Helen Casey

A compelling portrait of a young colonial woman has been given new life. 

Julia Sharp, Conservation Manager, David Stein & Co, works on the painting