What is the State Library of New South Wales?
The State Library of New South Wales, on Macquarie Street in Sydney, is Australia's oldest library, tracing its origins to the Australian Subscription Library founded in 1826. It holds treasures of Australian history.
The library's grand sandstone Mitchell Wing, completed in stages from 1910, houses the Mitchell Library. It was built to hold the collection of David Scott Mitchell, who left his huge collection of Australiana to the people of New South Wales.
The Mitchell Library Reading Room, with its glass ceiling and timber galleries, is one of Sydney's most beautiful rooms and is open to the public.
Treasures of the collection
The collection includes First Fleet journals, Captain Cook's letters, the diaries of explorers, early maps of Australia and a huge archive of photographs and manuscripts.
In the vestibule, the Tasman Map floor mosaic reproduces a map of Australia based on Abel Tasman's voyages of 1642 to 1644.
Free exhibitions are held in the galleries, and the library's Macquarie Street building also includes a cafe and bookshop. It is next to the Royal Botanic Garden and Parliament House.
Did You Know?
The original Tasman Map, drawn around 1644, is one of the library's most famous treasures.