What’s On in May at the NSW STATE LIBRARY

Sydney 30 April,2025

Sydney Writers’ Festival

19–27 May 2025

The Sydney Writers’ Festival will kicks off in May with an incredible line-up of talks and events with Australia’s leading and emerging storytellers. Catch all your favourites at the Library including Kate Grenville and Richard Glover, as well as highlights like the NSW Literary Awards ceremony and The Library That Made Me.

See full program

2025 NSW Literary Awards shortlists announced

The shortlists for the 2025 NSW Literary Awards have just been announced and now we turn the voting over to you!

Pick your favourite book shortlisted in the fiction, non-fiction and poetry categories to decide who will win the University of Sydney People’s Choice Award, now increased to $10,000.

The winners will be announced on Monday 19 May 2025 as part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival.

Vote here

A special performance

Saturday 3 May at 2 pm

Experience the Australian Haydn Ensemble in the Library’s Paintings Galleries for a very special performance. See these acclaimed musicians as they perform some of Schubert’s best.

Book here

NSW Literary Awards

Monday 19 May at 6.30 pm

Join us for the 2025 NSW Literary Awards ceremony, and be the first to hear the winners announced. This event will be live-streamed and is part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival.

Learn more

Women in the archives

Wednesday 28 May at 6 pm

Three Library Fellows discuss their work to recover the names and stories of women in the archives. Research ranges from the Irish orphan girls who migrated to Australia in the mid-1800s, to the women behind Sydney’s vibrant street press and music scene, and women’s protests against the Vietnam War.

Book here

New collection in Amaze

The Library has just acquired 42 extraordinary love letters from intrepid British explorer Matthew Flinders to his wife, Ann.

See a small selection of the letters Flinders wrote, mostly on board the Investigator or while detained on Île de France, on display in the Amaze Gallery until 22 February 2026.

Learn more

PIX exhibition events

Go behind the scenes on PIX and join us for this month’s exciting exhibition events. Take a curator-led tour, come along to a nostalgic ‘slide night’ and deep dive into the Library’s magazine collections.

PIX is a free exhibition on show in the Photography Gallery now.

Learn more

Giveaway

Win 1 of 10 double passes to see the new movie TINĀ (in cinemas 1 May). This inspiring drama tells the story of Samoan teacher Mareta Percival who, although struggling with huge personal loss, finds the healing power of music.

To enter, tell us why you want to see TINĀ.

Enter here

Plans to transform the Library’s Macquarie Street building

Our Macquarie Street building is undergoing a major refurbishment to create a more inviting, accessible and inspiring space — for you and for the millions of visitors who walk through our doors. To make this possible, the Macquarie Street building — including the Bashir Reading Room, Library bookshop and cafe — will temporarily close from 5 pm, Monday 12 May until the refurbishment is completed later this year.

We look forward to sharing our progress with you.

Learn more

Please consider giving to our Annual Appeal. Towards 200 will raise funds to digitise, conserve and interpret key items that will feature in the exciting year-long 2026 anniversary program.

Give now