New History of Cockatoo Island

Professional historian and Mitchell Library regular Sue Castrique has written a history of Cockatoo Island, focusing on the convict period.

An article about the book and its launch appears on the Professional Historians Association NSW blog.

We have requested copies for Australian Reference and stack.


Under the Colony's Eye: Gentlemen and Convicts on Cockatoo Island, 1839-1869

The Heritage of Parramatta Road

Interesting article on Leichhardt Council's project to record and to preserve the heritage of Parramatta Road (or Leichhardt Council's chunk of it anyway)!

http://localnotes.net.au/?p=3701

City of Sydney’s Oral History Collection

Take a look at the City of Sydney's Oral History Collection. This is a fabulous collection of interviews that are available as sound files (mp3) and transcripts. There are even some video interviews. Many aspects of life in Sydney are covered, including housing, arts and religion. Well worth a look.

                                                 http://www.sydneyoralhistories.com.au/

Our Pinterest Board on the Sydney Mail's World War I Covers

For the duration of the Life Interrupted exhibition, we are highlighting the front covers of the Sydney Mail during World War I. All covers produced during World War I have been digitised. We are choosing our favourites, and pinning a new one to the World War I in the Sydney Mail Pinterest board each weekday.



Sydney Mail, 28 October 1914.

Please let me know if you'd like to assist!

Andy.

Pat Sullivan and fan mail

Those of us with fond memories of our Dear Colleague Judy Nelson and her love of Felix the Cat will be interested to hear the Dreamworks Animation Studios are planning a new adaption of the cat and his bag of tricks.






http://www.thewrap.com/dreamworks-animation-acquires-felix-the-cat/

New App from the State Library of Victoria

Please see this interesting report from the ABC News website about a State Library of Victoria app that provides an historic walking tour of Melbourne.

Wonder if we should consider doing something similar for Sydney?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-03/melbournes-historic-buildings-on-show-with-new-app/5566632

Life Interrupted

Elise, Tim Fisher and co and the launch

On Monday night I was lucky enough to go to the launch of Life Interrupted curated by our former I& A colleague Elise Edmonds. Elise make a great speech about the huge effort that went in to the making of the exhibition and was sure to thank all the Library staff who contributed to it. Tim Fisher was as entertaining and animated as usual.

The exhibition is very moving so take your tissues. The Library's companion site is here: http://ww1.sl.nsw.gov.au/