The State Library of NSW is one of the great libraries of the world, with a history dating back to 1826. Since then, the Library has been collecting all kinds of materials that help tell the rich and diverse story of NSW and Australia. The State Library of NSW is the oldest library in Australia. In 1869 the NSW Government purchased the Australian Subscription Library, which had been established in 1826, to form the Sydney Free Public Library, the first truly public library for the people of NSW. The Mitchell Library, the first library in the country to concentrate entirely on Australian content, opened in 1910. There are more than six million items in the Library’s collection, including books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, paintings, architectural plans, objects and digital content.
