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State Library of New South Wales

 
Wikipedia: State Library of New South Wales
Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
State Library during Macquarie Night Lights from 23 November to 25 December 2006

The State Library of New South Wales (also known as the Mitchell Library) is a large public library owned by the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Macquarie Street, Sydney near Shakespeare Place.

The public library started as the 'Australian Subscription Library' in 1826. It was then taken over by the NSW Government in 1869 and became the 'Sydney Free Public Library'. In 1895 it was renamed the 'Public Library of NSW' until its most recent name change in 1975, when it became the 'State Library of New South Wales'.

The library contains over 4.7 million items including more than 2 million books, 1.2 million microforms, 1.1 million photographs, as well as newspapers, maps, architectural plans, manuscripts and other items[1]. As well as being a general purpose reference and research library, it contains many historically significant collections dating from the European colonisation of Australia, including accounts from Australian explorers and other pioneers, paintings and sketches, and many other historical records. These are held in the Australiana research collections known as the Mitchell (named for David Scott Mitchell) and Dixson libraries, housed within the State Library precinct. The collections grow through purchase and other acquisitions of material, and legal deposit for all books published in New South Wales.

The Library hosts many exhibitions, both from its own collections and from other organisations such as World Press Photo and the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize.


Contents

Notes

Duran Duran's photo sessions for Seven and the Ragged Tiger were held at the library in 1983.

References

  1. ^ State Library of NSW: Annual Report 2008

External links

See also


Mitchell Library, view from Botanic Gardens
Inside the Mitchell Library Reading Room

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