The Macquarie Street Building

Work began on the Macquarie Street Wing in 1983 and it was opened in 1988 (Australia’s bicentenary) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in company with Prince Philip. The new building fronts Macquarie Street and links up with the Mitchell Wing above ground by an unobtrusive first-floor bridge and below ground at a number of points. Mr Andrew Andersons, the design architect, had excelled himself in designing an attractive and welcoming building flooded with natural light that will continue to endear itself to countless Library users.

Located in the Macquarie Street Wing, the State Reference Library reading room contains a comprehensive and diverse collection of Australian and international research material. This includes printed books, journals, government reports, statistics, audio–visual material and electronic resources.

It is also home to a number of specialist services, including the Legal Information Access Centre, the Health Information Service and the Family History Service.

Photograph of the verandah space in the State Reference Library reading rooms - image by Bruce York.