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77-606: The State Library of New South Wales , part of which is known as the Mitchell Library , is a large heritage-listed special collections , reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia . Established in 1869 its collections date back to the Australian Subscription Library established in the colony of New South Wales (now a state of Australia ) in 1826. The library

154-581: A catalogue of his collection, and as a result, cataloguing was an early priority for librarians in the Mitchell Library. A research department was established as part of the public library in the 1920s under the direction of Nita Kibble, while Ida Leeson as Head of Acquisitions researched gaps in the library's collections. Kibble's research department was later used as a model by other State Libraries when establishing similar services. Mitchell's bequest also included funding for collection acquisition; expanding

231-470: A copy of all thirteen known surviving memorials. In early 2014 controversy erupted over proposed changes to the Mitchell Library. A petition of over 200 well-known writers and academics was soon joined by over 9,000 other library users including historians, architects, archaeologists, academics and family historians. In reply the State Librarian, Alex Byrne, issued an open letter, and other writers debated

308-655: A group of wealthy Sydney citizens in 1826. It was then purchased for £ 5,100 by the New South Wales Government in 1869 and became the Sydney Free Public Library . In 1895 it was renamed the Public Library of New South Wales until its most recent name change in 1975, when it became the State Library of New South Wales . The Australian Subscription Library was established in 1826 at a meeting at

385-617: A major exhibition on the arrival of the First Fleet and the interactions of the European arrivals with the Indigenous people of the area, the Eora peoples . In 1998 the library acquired two large collections. The papers of George Bass were purchased for what was then the highest price paid at auction for manuscripts related to Australian topics. The estate of Jean Garling , author and dancer, passed to

462-538: A member library of National and State Libraries Australia , the organisation collaborated on the creation of the National edeposit (NED) system, which enables publishers from all over Australia to upload electronic publications as per the 2016 amendment to the Copyright Act 1968 and other regional legislation, and makes these publications publicly accessible online (depending on access conditions) from anywhere. Access to

539-465: A peripatetic existence having been located a few years in George Street , Bridge Street , Macquarie Street and Macquarie Place . The library had financial problems and required more space to house its growing collections but negotiations in 1838 to construct a new library building broke down over member unwillingness to broaden access to the library. Fortunately for the members later negotiations with

616-472: A permanent display of maps in specially designed map rooms. In 2022 work was completed on upgrading the Mitchell Library Reading Room which had remained largely unchanged since it opened to the public in 1942. Changes included new carpet, desks and chairs. The Dalgety walkway access was also filled in to allow for additional seating for readers. The Library's new 350 seat underground auditorium

693-524: A rotating 6-month exhibition of works on paper (watercolours and drawings); and a First Nations gallery which opened to the public in 2018. The building also houses the Column Gallery, an exhibition space housed in the south-eastern side of the Mitchell building. This gallery space required a complete redesign of the old 1960s office and workspaces and was opened to the public in 2018. The building also houses

770-544: A series of images depicting Indigenous Australian people and European explorers. In 1964, the final section of the sandstone Mitchell Building was laid on the south east corner. This was designed by Alan Robertson from the Government Architect's Branch; one of the junior architects on the team was Andrew Andersons, who would later be principal architect for the design of the Macquarie Street Wing. Within 10 years

847-629: A special collections area or division can be a fundamental part of their mission. Some special collections are standalone institutions that are privately funded, such as the Newberry Library or the American Antiquarian Society while others are part of a larger institution, such as the Beinecke Library at Yale University or Special Collections at University College London . Many American university special collections grew out of

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924-662: A special collections department or managed separately, and whilst rare books and manuscripts are often kept within special collections some institutions may use the term exclusively for modern material. Larger, historically distinct collections may also be managed as part of a Special Collections department: for example, the British Cartoon Archive at the University of Kent is part of the Templeman Library 's Special Collections & Archives. For research libraries,

1001-453: Is an index to the fortnightly newspaper Koori Mail , covering from May 1991 to July 2016, as well as to biographical information from various magazines, including Identity (1971-1982); Our AIM (1907-1961); and Dawn (1952-1969) / New Dawn (1970-1975). The library has contributed to a number of Wikimedia projects, including: The library is an agency of the Ministry of Arts in

1078-692: Is located on the corner of Macquarie Street and Shakespeare Place , in the Sydney central business district adjacent to the Domain and the Royal Botanic Gardens , in the City of Sydney . The library is a member of the National and State Libraries Australia (NSLA) consortium. The Mitchell Wing of the State Library of New South Wales building was designed by Walter Liberty Vernon , assisted by H. C. L. Anderson and

1155-641: Is part of the PANDORA web archiving project of the National Library of Australia and also collects born digital material. As well as being a general purpose reference and research library, it contains many historically significant collections including material dating from the European colonisation of Australia. These are held in the Australiana research collections known as the Mitchell Library (named for David Scott Mitchell, first collector of Australiana) and

1232-652: Is required under the New South Wales Copyright Act 1879–1952 , ss 5–7. The State Library of New South Wales, along with New South Wales Parliamentary Library and University of Sydney Library are entitled to "receive a copy of every book first published in New South Wales within two months of publication. 'Book' is defined in the Act as any book, newspaper, pamphlet, leaflet, music, map, chart or plan separately published and 'bound', sewed or stitched together'." As

1309-582: Is significant for the prominent position it occupies at the termination of one of the most historically important streetscapes in Australia. The building is of aesthetic significance reflecting important stylistic influences on the architecture of the twentieth century. The library is a recognised symbol in Sydney and has had a long association with the provision of library services to the local and regional community of New South Wales. The development and interior layout of

1386-451: The COVID-19 pandemic . Wallsend, New South Wales Wallsend is a western suburb of Newcastle , New South Wales , Australia, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Newcastle's central business district . It is split between the local government areas of City of Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie . The Awabakal and Worimi peoples are acknowledged by City of Newcastle as

1463-506: The Dixson Library (named after Sir William Dixson). The library has been continuously adding to its collections since 1826 and holds collections of manuscripts, books, artworks, photography and artefacts of national and international significance. These include: Computer cataloguing commenced in the early 1980s for books, and in 1992 for pictures and manuscripts. A large cataloguing backlog of material without an electronic record prompted

1540-466: The National Library of Australia ), established in 1901, was also collecting Australiana material. This led to conflict over the acquisition of the papers of James Cook , which were offered at auction in London in 1923. The Trustees chose not to bid for the papers as doing so would have limited the library's Australiana acquisitions budget for several years and Ifould, already in London with hopes of purchasing

1617-823: The New South Wales State Government . The role of the State Librarian is prescribed in the New South Wales Library Act 1939, ss 7a . The State Librarian is the Secretary of the Library Council of New South Wales . There have been 19 people appointed to manage the collections since 1827. Mitchell's bequest stipulated that a position be created called the Mitchell Librarian. There have been 10 Mitchell Librarians since 1909: [REDACTED] Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra As of 21 March 2001,

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1694-532: The colliery which opened in January 1861 was called the Newcastle-Wallsend Coal Company. The suburb began as two mining towns, Wallsend and Plattsburg. Wallsend was the more developed and as it grew it linked to Plattsburg via Nelson Street. Wallsend was proclaimed a separate municipality in early 1874, but the two areas had re-joined by 1915. The coal mined at Wallsend was of very good quality and

1771-454: The temperature , humidity , illumination , and other environmental conditions are carefully monitored to ensure the integrity of materials, and adequate security is provided to protect the materials from unauthorized access, theft, and vandalism. Offsite storage facilities have become increasingly popular among institutions holding special collections. Most libraries consider it their mandate to maintain acquisition of new collections, although

1848-653: The Archives Authority of New South Wales), which had been established in 1960 and was housed at the library until 1978. Computer cataloguing of the library's collections began in the 1980s. The Australian Bicentenary prompted increasing public discussion about Australian society and history, and an increasing consciousness of women's history, multiculturalism in Australian society, and Indigenous Australian societies and histories. The library responded to public discussion by increasing research into Indigenous material held at

1925-570: The Library had outgrown this space too. The Mitchell Wing celebrated its centenary in 2010 and in the lead-up to its centenary (from 2001), held a series of related exhibitions and events. Between 2018 and 2023 major new permanent and temporary exhibition spaces were opened in the Mitchell Building. These exhibition spaces are largely format based. On display in the Mitchell and Dixson wings are: over 300 Australian oil paintings on permanent display;

2002-573: The Macquarie Street Wing in 1983 and it was opened in 1988—Australia's bicentenary—by Queen Elizabeth II in company with Prince Philip . The new building fronts Macquarie Street and links up with the Mitchell Wing above ground and below ground. Andrew Andersons of the Government Architects Office was the design architect for the Macquarie Street Wing. The Government Architects Office was again engaged in 2011 for planned renovations for

2079-479: The Mitchell Librarian role as a separate one and appointed Suzanne Mourot. Dorothea Mackellar 's papers were acquired in 1970, and Jørn Utzon 's Sydney Opera House archive in 1972. The collection expanded in a new area with an oral history project, run in 1976, interviewing past staff members. By 1978, all government archives had been moved to the State Records Authority of New South Wales (then called

2156-481: The Mitchell bequest. Nineteen years after the completion of the Mitchell Wing, more building took place on the site of the state library. The Dixson Wing, designed by architect Richard Macdonald Seymour Wells and completed in 1929, was added to the south side of the Mitchell Wing to provide storage and gallery space for the extensive collection of historical paintings presented to the library by Sir William Dixson . The galleries were refurbished in 1987 in preparation for

2233-537: The Public Library building or in a separate new building; as there was no room in the Public Library building and no suitable building existed a new building was erected. Work on the Mitchell Wing of the new building began in 1906 and finished in 1910 based on designs prepared by Walter Liberty Vernon , the Head of the Government Architect's Branch . The Mitchell Wing upon completion housed library reading rooms, work areas and

2310-465: The State Reference Library, including the legal information service established in 1990, a drug and alcohol information service and a family history research service. The library contains over 6 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. It

2387-521: The Sydney Hotel chaired by barrister John Mackaness. Library membership was subject to committee approval. James Mitchell, father of David Scott Mitchell (who would later bequeath his collection to the library), was a committee member from 1832 to 1853 and Vice President from 1856 to 1869. In December 1827 operations began in rented premises in Pitt Street and in the two years following, the library led

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2464-684: The United States of America and England, and recommended that further efforts be made to establish and support regional libraries. Their recommendations included the establishment of free public libraries in every local council area; this was enshrined in the Library Act 1939 , which Ifould and Metcalfe helped to draft. Metcalfe also founded the Australian Institute of Librarians (now the Australian Library and Information Association ) in 1937,

2541-554: The Wollongong School of Arts and the Mechanics' Institute at Plattsburg (modern-day Wallsend ) and services for regional libraries from 1883. The library's collection continued to grow, causing continual storage and overcrowding problems; new additions included a First Folio in 1885 and the papers of William Bligh in 1902. Australiana was a collecting focus for the library and David Scott Mitchell's collecting activities came to

2618-552: The arts. Some special collections are recognised as being of global importance; the UNESCO Memory of the World Register includes documentary heritage material. Individual libraries or archival institutions determine for themselves what constitute their own special collections, resulting in a somewhat mutable definition that is often a legacy of the institution's organisational structure. For example, archives may be part of

2695-556: The attention of Henry Charles Lennox Anderson , Principal Librarian from 1893–1906. Anderson's stated aim of making the library a "National, and not a Municipal, Library" led him to collect Australiana material. However, Mitchell's efforts to collect as many books and manuscripts relating to Australia, the Pacific, the East Indies and Antarctica, particularly from 1886 onwards, created competition for these materials. Anderson realised that

2772-448: The bicentennial exhibition held at the library in 1988. In 1939 work began on the central section of the building, including the portico, the ornate vestibule and its reproduced Tasman Map in marble mosaic and the main reading room. The building was ready to be used in June 1942 and the Library (as a whole) was under one roof. Bronze doors were presented by William Dixson and were decorated with

2849-584: The books and £ 3,600 for the building). In September 1869, the Sydney Free Public Library opened its doors with a stock of 20,000 volumes. Over 60,000 people visited the library in its first year of operation as the Free Public Library . Robert Cooper Walker was appointed Principal Librarian. He, in collaboration with the Trustees (led by Charles Badham ), worked to expand the educational role of

2926-480: The building resulting in a redesigned reading room and construction of a new learning space for education programs. Work commenced in 2011 and was completed in 2012. The State Reference Library contains a comprehensive and diverse collection of Australian and international research material. The collections grow through purchase, other acquisitions of material and legal deposit for all books published in New South Wales. A number of specialist services are located within

3003-416: The collection would be known as the "Mitchell Library". Although his offer was quickly accepted, construction of a new building to house the collection was delayed for several years. Construction commenced in 1906, one year before Mitchell's death. Following Anderson's resignation in 1907, Frank Murcott Bladen (former head of the library's lending branch) was appointed Principal Librarian. In 1909, Hugh Wright

3080-580: The collections for which they are responsible. Items in a special collection are usually stored in closed stacks (not directly accessible to the institution's patrons) which contain noncirculating items, meaning that items cannot be loaned or otherwise removed from the premises. Access to materials is usually under supervision. Depending on the policies of an institution holding special collections, researchers may be asked to present identification cards, letters of reference, or other credentials to gain access. Most special collections are stored in areas in which

3157-514: The committee's support of Leeson (and general support of the Trustees for appointing the most suitable candidate regardless of gender), the Minister for Public Instruction was unwilling to approve the appointment due to the assumption that the Mitchell Librarian would deputise for the Principal Librarian and an unwillingness to see a woman in that role. A new position of Deputy Principal Librarian

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3234-497: The first professional body representing librarians, and was heavily involved in the Free Library Movement in 1935. New indexes were created and cataloguing efforts continued to make the library's collections more accessible, while some books were placed on open access. The collection continued to grow. The Macarthur family papers were acquired in 1940, and in 1954 much of Miles Franklin 's personal and literary papers came to

3311-527: The following criteria. Special collections Materials housed in special collections can be in any format (including rare books , manuscripts , photographs , archives , ephemera , and digital records ), and are generally characterized by their artifactual or monetary value , physical format, uniqueness or rarity, and/or an institutional commitment to long-term preservation and access. They can also include association with important figures or institutions in history, culture, politics, sciences, or

3388-428: The government were more successful and construction of a new library building began in 1843. The foundation stone for this new building, on the corner of Bent and Macquarie Streets, was laid by Alexander Macleay and the library was opened in 1845. Financial difficulties continued, and by 1869 the subscription library was in serious debt. The New South Wales Government was persuaded to buy it for £ 5,100 ( £ 1,500 for

3465-450: The larger Wallsend Village shopping centre (formerly owned by Stockland). Plattsburg Public School is a government co-educational school located on Ranclaud Street. There is another co-educational government primary school called Wallsend Public School located on 26 Martindale Street. There is also a catholic co-educational primary school called St Patrick's Primary School located on Macquarie Street. Wallsend junior campus, which

3542-594: The library after her death. The remaining papers from her collection were sold at auction to a private collector, and acquired 30 years later by the library. In collaboration with the State Library of Victoria and the National Library of Australia, a bibliography of sources relating to Asia and the Pacific was compiled in response to public interest sparked by World War II. John Metcalfe was appointed Principal Librarian in 1942 following Ifould's retirement. Four years later Ida Leeson also retired, and Phyllis Mander-Jones

3619-434: The library after his death in 1952. Wright retired in 1932 and Ida Leeson was appointed Mitchell Librarian. In the 1930s, many women in the workforce suffered discrimination on the basis of gender, and her appointment caused controversy due to the seniority of the position as the deputy for the Principal Librarian at the time. The Library Trustees appointed a committee to consider the applicants and make an appointment. Despite

3696-487: The library both through collection expansion and the production of printed catalogues of the library's collection. The library expanded its operations, opening a lending branch in 1877. This lending branch was handed to the Sydney Municipal Council in 1909 and later became the City of Sydney Library . Another of Walker's initiatives was to establish services across the state, with loans to organisations including

3773-413: The library did not have the budget or contacts to compete with Mitchell (from the 1880s onward, George Robertson gave Mitchell first right of refusal on Australiana material purchased by Angus & Robertson ), and attempted to build a working relationship with Mitchell. In 1898, Mitchell announced his intention to leave his collection to the people of New South Wales, subject to conditions including that

3850-478: The library on her death. The library collections continue to expand, with recent acquisitions including 201 personal letters of surveyor John Septimus Roe (1797–1878) and the Edward Close sketchbook (1817–1818). In 2013 the library acquired two memorials written by Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós to King Philip appealing for funding for an expedition to the fabled Terra Australis . The library holds

3927-420: The library reading rooms and galleries is free. There are a range of services that are accessible via a library card including remote access to electronic resources for NSW residents, access to books and other material from storage, and bookings for onsite study rooms. The library hosts free exhibitions , both from its own collections and from other organisations such as World Press Photo. The library administers

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4004-432: The library received State Government funding to digitise 12 million pages from its collection, including newspapers, manuscripts, pictures and books. In Australia, legal deposit legislation exists at the national and state levels to support the provision of access to Australian research, heritage and culture. The Copyright Act 1968 governs legal deposit requirements at a national level. In New South Wales, legal deposit

4081-409: The library was running out of space to house its collection and accommodate staff in its building on the corner of Bent and Macquarie streets. Plans were underway for a new 'national' library building. The stimulus for this was David Scott Mitchell 's offer of his extensive collection of Australiana to the people of New South Wales. The condition of his offer was that his collection be housed either in

4158-607: The library's collection (particularly in the area of Australiana and Pacific material) was a priority for both Wright and William Ifould , who was appointed Principal Librarian in 1912. Ifould envisioned the library as a repository of material relating to the history of Australia, not just New South Wales, and led efforts to collect material. The library acquired the papers of Lachlan Macquarie and his family in 1914, Matthew Flinders in 1922, and Abel Tasman 's journal in 1926, and after World War I collected journals of soldiers from that conflict. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Library (now

4235-471: The library's successful 2008 application for government funding to create over one million electronic catalogue records. The library subscribes to electronic databases which are accessible for cardholders via the catalogue. The digitisation of the papers of Sir Joseph Banks , completed in 1997, was the first digitisation project of original manuscripts undertaken by the library. It was followed by further digitisation of manuscript and picture collections including

4312-440: The library, creating and filling identified Indigenous Services Librarians positions in 1991, and establishing an Indigenous Unit in 2013. The Rainbow Archives project was established in the 1980s, and migrants were interviewed to record oral histories for the collection. Russell Doust retired in 1987 and was succeeded by Alison Crook, who commenced in the role months before the opening of the new Macquarie Street Wing. 1988 also saw

4389-413: The library; his offer was accepted in 1924. After a series of delays construction began on a new wing to house the collection, which was opened on 21 October 1929. Dixson was the guest of honour at the opening of an exhibition to mark the centenary of Mitchell's birth in 1936, and also paid for the bronze doors added to the Mitchell building in 1942, when extensions were added. His entire collection passed to

4466-429: The limitations of their physical plants may not be able to handle all that is acquired. Storing materials offsite allows flexibility in how libraries design and apportion their space and provides security for materials. The 2010 "Taking Our Pulse" report cites a survey in which 67% of responding institutions use offsite facilities, with another 5% in planning stages. Special reading rooms are often provided to minimize

4543-605: The merging of rare book rooms and manuscripts departments in a university's library system. In contrast to general (or circulating) libraries, the uniqueness of special collections means that they are not easily replaced (if at all) and therefore require a higher level of security and handling. The primary function of a special collections division is to foster research by providing researchers and interested groups or individuals access to items while ensuring their longevity. Many staff members involved with special collections have either advanced degrees or specialized training related to

4620-547: The papers for the Mitchell Library, was directed instead to purchase them on behalf of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library and the Public Library of New South Wales using funds provided by the Federal Government. Sir William Dixson offered in 1919 to leave his collection of pictures, manuscripts and other materials relating to Australiana and the Pacific (particularly early European exploration) to

4697-647: The papers of Matthew Flinders , the Hood collection of photographs by Sam Hood and son Ted Hood, and the Holtermann Collection of images of the NSW goldfields of the 1860s and 1870s, which is now listed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register. Digitised images of items from the library's collection are available in the catalogue, and some are also available through thematic online exhibitions. In 2012

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4774-451: The presence of food and beverages. Protective gloves are sometimes required when consulting particularly delicate materials, photographs, and metal objects, and many libraries may require that books be read only while resting in special cradles. Research libraries are increasingly investigating offering virtual reading rooms and virtual teaching environments to support remote access to special collections - work which has been accelerated since

4851-628: The progressive stages of the building reflect the changing attitudes to library planning theory. It is significant as one of the only Government buildings in the Federation Academic Classical styles. Only two of these are cultural buildings, the other being the Art Gallery of NSW . State Library of New South Wales building was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied

4928-414: The public library of New South Wales houses a public facility initiated in 1869 and is one of the most important libraries in Australia. It was the second purpose-built library and the only remaining public library in Sydney dating from the early twentieth century. The building is still in use and has a lengthy association with several historically important persons such as Government Architect WL Vernon. It

5005-409: The risk to holdings while being consulted by patrons, which are sometimes monitored by library personnel who also provide reference assistance and relay requests for materials. Rules often apply to use of materials in order to protect against inadvertent damage; Writing implements which use ink are very commonly prohibited, as well as flash photography, use of mobile phones (except for photography), and

5082-399: The role of libraries in the digital age. In response the Library announced a restoration programme which effectively reversed the proposed changes. On 22 March 2020 the Library buildings were closed to the public to help protect the health of visitors and staff and to minimise the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in New South Wales. It continued providing access to its online services during

5159-764: The sections of the Library Act 1939 and the Library Regulation that relate to local authorities and public libraries in New South Wales . The library provides information, professional development programs, advice and the payment of grants and subsidies to local authorities operating New South Wales public libraries. The State Library's Public Library Services team provides a research program on behalf of public libraries in New South Wales. This covers standards and guidelines for library buildings and services, economic value studies, services and management of public libraries. The Australian Indigenous Index, or INFOKOORI,

5236-457: The shutdown period and reopened under NSW Health guidelines on 13 July 2020. After the easing of NSW COVID-19 restrictions the Library reverted to its normal opening hours on 8 March 2021. Due to a second outbreak of COVID-19 in the Sydney CBD on 25 June 2021 the Library followed advice from NSW Health and stopped public access to the building before re-opening on the 11 October 2021. By the 1890s,

5313-419: The township prospered, creating the commercial hub it is today. Today Wallsend has outgrown the historic main street and received investment and expansion from local business and national companies. The main street of Wallsend has also experienced a changing face of business with new restaurants and real estate agencies, as well as home building companies occupying previous local businesses that have migrated to

5390-605: The traditional custodians of the land situated within the Newcastle local government area, including wetlands, rivers, creeks, and coastal environments. It is known that their heritage and cultural ties to Newcastle date back tens of thousands of years. Lieutenant Edward Close , an engineer and founder of Morpeth , recorded that part of the Wallsend area was called Barrahinebin by the Aboriginal custodians. Close reported that Barrahinebin

5467-478: Was appointed Acting Mitchell Librarian. Three years later, after Metcalfe's retirement, Gordon Richardson was appointed as Principal Librarian. A series of position changes saw the Deputy Principal Librarian and Mitchell Librarians absorbed into the Principal Librarian position filled by Richardson. This situation remained until Richardson's retirement in 1973; his successor, Russell Doust, re-established

5544-599: Was appointed as her successor, after a short time as Deputy Mitchell Librarian. During her tenure she prepared a report comparing archival practice in Australia with other countries, and arranged the acquisition of additional papers of the Macarthur family and the New South Wales Supreme Court 's early records. Metcalfe was an advocate for free public libraries and supported their establishment throughout his career. After Mander-Jones took leave in 1956, Jean Arnot

5621-536: Was appointed to the newly created position of Mitchell Librarian; the creation of this role was another condition of Mitchell's bequest. Nita Kibble was another early member of the library staff. The Mitchell Library officially opened on 8 March 1910; Mungo MacCallum , then President of the Library Board of Trustees , spoke at the opening. The public library remained in the Bent Street building. Mitchell had not kept

5698-406: Was built from 1905 to 1910, with further additions by Howie Bros in 1939; by FWC Powell & Sons in 1959; and by Mellocco Bros in 1964. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. Work began on the Macquarie Street Wing in 1983 and it was opened in 1988. The first library collections were part of the Australian Subscription Library which was started by

5775-494: Was created and filled by John Wallace Metcalfe, a librarian who had worked in the public library for nine years. This role would sit above the Mitchell Librarian role in the organisation's hierarchy. The decision to create it was criticised by the National Council of Women. In 1934, Ralph Munn and E. R. Pitt led an inquiry into Australian libraries. Their report contrasted the regional library network in Australia with that in

5852-423: Was opened on Sunday 29 October 2023. Further space was required for collection storage and public spaces, as well as staff work areas. Space became available south of the Mitchell Wing in the 1970s, when several buildings were demolished and Richmond Villa relocated to accommodate a new building for State Parliament, although this was initially used for temporary accommodation for parliamentary staff. Work began on

5929-539: Was used to describe the area bounded by the Hunter River , Ironbark Creek and Mount Sugarloaf . Wallsend was named after a North of England coal mining township , initially built at the end of a Roman defensive wall , a town to the east of Newcastle upon Tyne . The name was given to the area by Alexander Brown in the 1850s when he purchased land bounded by what are now Newcastle Road, Boundary, and Croudace Streets and beyond Gunambi Road. The company he formed to operate

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