Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Mitchell Library Reading Room

Mitchell Library Reading Room

Completed 1942
Built by FWC Powell & Sons
Stonework by Beat Brothers

This grand but ‘bright and inviting’* room measures 25 x 50 metres and is surrounded by three tiers of Tasmanian blackwood bookshelves, with the upper levels accessed by balconies of brass and timber. The panelling, door and window frames, and facings of the book galleries are made of cream Travertine (limestone). Most of the furniture, including the bentwood chairs, remains from the original 1942 fit-out, with the heavy teak tables dating back to 1910. The glass ceiling provides the chief source of light; it is made of shatter-proof glass with an outer roof of heat-resistant glass.

The room opened to the public as the General Reference Library in June 1942 as part of a major extension to the original 1910 Mitchell Library building. But again, the library quickly grew too big for the space. After many years of planning, interim solutions, delays and controversies, the General Reference Library – now called the State Reference Library – moved to its current location on Macquarie Street in 1988.

This much-loved Reading Room now houses the Australian and the South-West Pacific research collections; a special emphasis is also placed on resources documenting the history NSW. Services relating to the Dixson Library are also provided through the Mitchell Library Reading Room; both libraries contain unique manuscripts, photographs, pictures, maps, relics and ephemera which document Australian daily life. Not only is the Mitchell Library Reading Room used as a public place to read and research, but it serves as a backdrop to countless state, public and media events, photo shoots, films and special occasions.

There are 1700.8 metres of shelving which can hold 50,000 books.

Due to workplace health and safety issues, only Library staff are permitted to use the balconies.

The room is divided into two reading areas; one for printed materials, and the other for original or valuable materials such as manuscripts, pictures, maps and rare books.

The room was named after David Scott Mitchell in honour of his generous bequest to the Library.

The Library’s original reading room was located in what is now the Friend’s Room, which became a staff area when this reading room opened in 1988 as the Mitchell Library’s reading room.

This room opened to the public in 1942, but the official opening ceremony was postponed until November 1943 due to wartime restrictions on large public gatherings.

The 2001 refurbishments were completed to refresh the original 1942 design and to accommodate modern technology and services. The original glass in the ceiling was also replaced.

The natural light diffused through the glass ceiling is supplemented on cloudy days by lights between the outer and inner panelling. The lights are turned on when a sensor is activated.