The State Library
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love libraries. I love what they represent, possibility, opportunity and adventure, and I love the fact that they are free for all. I have 13 library cards, last count including one for this my local favourite, the State Library of NSW.
The State Library is not just a library. It is also a gallery and museum where precious paintings and artefacts are made accessible to the public in carefully curated exhibitions throughout the year. Outside these exhibitions, items from the library’s huge collection are on frequent rotation and feature on gallery walls and in display cases at various points around the library.
Getting around
It’s easier to navigate the State Library once you understand that it is essentially two libraries in one. The Mitchell Library which faces the Botanic Gardens on Shakespeare Place and the newer glass-fronted building on Macquarie Street. The Mitchell Library (incorporating the Dixson Wing) houses an expansive Australasian collection while the Macquarie Street building is the general reference and research space for everything else.
The buildings are of course connected and internal corridors and staircases allow easy access between the two. There is a cafe on the ground floor of the Macquarie Street Building and the adjoining bookstore has a great collection of largely Australian-themed fiction and non-fiction as well as gifts and stationery.
Treasures at the library
Among the most valuable of the library’s treasures are copies of all four of William Shakespeare’s folios These large printed volumes, published in the 17th century, are the earliest published editions of Shakespeare’s complete plays. The First Folio, (there are roughly two hundred in existence), is one of the most valuable printed books in the world. In 2001 a copy sold at Christie's in New York for over $6million. The library’s copy has been fully digitised and can be viewed here
One of the more curious items in the collection is Macquarie Collector's Chest, (ca. 1818) The cedar chest, gifted to Governor Macquarie in the early 1800s features 13 hand-painted panels and concealed drawers filled with beautifully preserved natural history specimens including birds, butterflies and beetles.
Macquarie Collector's Chest
Another curiosity is housed in the Friends Room in the Mitchell Library. Here, in lead-lined cabinetry are over 1000 editions of Cervantes’ Don Quixote. The collection which includes other title by Cervantes was donated to the library by Dr Ben Haneman, a local physician with a passion for Spanish culture.
The Mitchell Reading Room
My favourite room, and by far the most photographed part of the library, is the beautiful Mitchell Reading Room. Lit by a large shatterproof glass ceiling, the room is entered at ground level through sandblasted glass and bronze doors and features three large stained glass windows commemorating Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Shelves are lined with attractive though largely off-limits leather bound treasures, and visitors sit at old timber tables on original bentwood chairs.
Many famous Australian writers have researched and penned their works here. Nobel laureate Patrick White, historians Manning Clark and Robert Hughes, and novelists Kate Grenville and Peter Corris all found inspiration from this beautiful room.
The State Library is open 7 days a week and free tours operate most weekdays. Opening hours for exhibition and study spaces vary so check the website for more information. You can also visit the library online to access family history and legal resources, as well as over over 4 million digitised files from the collection.
You can apply for a card here to use items in the library or online, or become a friend to enjoy extra benefits.