A few of our favourite things - Rare Book Week

The City of Sydney Archives holds over 1 million items. Half of these are digitised and available to download.

In this free event, offered as part of Rare Book Week, visit us and hear a talk about a few special favourites, selected by the archivists.

Be introduced to intriguing petitions from community members to the City Council from 1844, and what they tell us about the people of Sydney and their lives at that time.

Explore some beautiful photograph albums and hear some interesting tales about the Sydney gem, the Queen Victoria Building.

Learn how to search the Archives & History Resources catalogue to find these items.

This is also your chance to get up close to some original archives!

City Archivist Janet Villata has extensive experience in archives management and was on the project team that delivered the City’s award-winning Archives & History Resources catalogue.

Archivist Naomi Crago has an interest in community archiving projects and making records accessible to diverse communities.

Note: Both sessions cover the same content, so you only need to book one. Each booking is limited to 6 places.

This event is presented as part of the Sydney Rare Book Week 2025 program. The program concludes with the Sydney Rare Book Fair at the State Library of NSW, from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 October 2025.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Town Hall House, Level 2/456 Kent St, Sydney, Australia