A portrait of Senator Jacinta Price almost cost the Library of NSW its CEO. Here is some background. John Vallance was appointed State Librarian of New South Wales in August 2017. His mission was, in his own words to, ‘Turn the Library inside out.’ By this
Read more →Isn’t this a striking, full length portrait? The subject is Tasmanian born artist Florence Rodway. It was completed by her friend and fellow artist Norman Carter (1875-1963), in 1910. Unfortunately no colour version exists. The first mention of the portrait in the press was in 1911; Mr
Read more →Hello Peeps, Editor Des reporting. Well I had a Covid escape to Sydney from Blackheath a while back….OK, a LONG while back! 😨 Cities are strange places, did you know that? You could disappear from one completely in the proverbial puff of smoke, or something even more
Read more →I was intrigued to come across a reference to one of my articles on the internet recently. It was included in the description of a rare and beautiful item offered for sale by Hordern House Rare books, located in Sydney’s Surry Hills. This tiny object was of
Read more →Hello, Editor Des here. Well Pauline went to a champagne preview of a dedicated children’s section at the New South Wales State Library recently. This week she asked me if I wanted to go and see it. Well of course, woman! I should have been invited to
Read more →Libraries (well in my opinion) are the most exciting places in the world. That’s because I was born curious. How right Eleanor Roosevelt was when she said; ‘I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most
Read more →Sydney’s Mitchell Library recently doubled the size of its exhibition gallery space. In a new initiative, 300 works of art were selected for permanent display. Some have rarely been seen by the general public. As a member of the Library Circle I feel privileged to be sponsoring one
Read more →New exhibition galleries are due to open at Sydney’s Mitchell Library in October 2018. Here is a little of what is underway; As part of our transformation of
Read more →As a young woman, Joyce Cocks became an attendant (and later a buyer) at Sydney’s historic Mitchell Library. The Mitchell now forms part of the vast Library of New South Wales complex. AN ARMED ROBBER INTRUDES In 1923 an armed man entered the building on Macquarie
Read more →A DAY OUT FOR EDITOR DES (THAT’S ME) Well one day my guardian Pauline Conolly took me to Sydney as a special treat. Now she loves going to the State Library, but I don’t (boooooring!!) I was pretty p…..d off when we ended up there (sorry, I
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