Local Studies

The Mosman Local Studies Collection is located in the Mosman Room in Barry O’Keefe Library. The collection comprises current and retrospective material on the people, places and events that make Mosman unique. Topics covered include indigenous history, the natural environment, social history, the built environment and current issues.

A wide range of formats are kept such as books, original documents, newspapers, manuscripts, serials, maps, plans, photographs, art works, ephemera, ceramics, textiles, audio and CD-ROM resources.

While collecting relevant resources is one of the essential roles of Local Studies it is just as important to make them available to the community. This is undertaken in a few ways through exhibitions – in house and online, workshops, and outreach activities such as talks.

The Mosman Local Studies Collection is available during library hours. It is not necessary to be a member of the Library to consult the collection. Staff is available to assist with enquiries; however it is advisable to make an appointment with the Local Studies Librarian if the enquiry is complex.

  • memories of your street

    Mosman Memories of Your Street

    Personal narratives and photographs sharing living memories of Mosman’s past.

  • doing our bit

    Doing Our Bit

    To commemorate the centenary of World War One, the Mosman Library service has created Doing Our Bit to collect and display information about the wartime experiences of local service people.

  • Mosman Community

    Mosman Voices

    Listen to extracts from interviews with locals which have been collected over decades and which now form the valuable Mosman Oral History Collection.

  • Mosman Faces

    Mosman Faces

    What’s a story without pictures? Mosman Faces is a visual story of Mosman through filmed interviews complemented by scanned images of materials from Mosman’s Local Studies Collection.

  • Malley Family

    Genealogy

    Located in the Mosman Room, The Family History Collection consists of birth, death and marriage records for all Australian States, as well as cemetery registers, electoral rolls, probate indexes, shipping records, handbooks and directories.

  • Image Collection - Trace

    Find local photographs, documents, newspapers, council minutes, maps, subdivision plans, oral histories, realia, ephemera, textiles and ceramics. Digitising the collection is ongoing and new items are always being added to Trace.

  • Community profile

    Community Profile

    Mosman population and demographics.

  • Researching a Property in Mosman

    A guide to resources that may assist in the study of the local built environment including homes, business premises and public buildings.

  • little boy

    Publications

    From garbage removal to the naming of streets, reputable authors provide quality publications that reveal the rich history of Mosman. All are for sale in the Library.

  • Memorial Presentation

    Your Trash is Our Treasure

    A look at some of the wonderful items donated to the Local Studies Collection from past and current residents, local businesses and community groups.

  • Mosman Bay 1908

    Mosman Historical Society

    The Mosman Historical Society is a community based Society that aims to promote the history and heritage of Mosman as well as Australian history in general.

  • AllFiredUp pano

    Exhibitions

    During the 1940s, Mosman became the home of two famous names in pottery, Rose Noble and Vande.