Local Studies

The Mosman Local Studies Collection is located in the Mosman Room, 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, social history, the natural environment, the built environment and current issues.

A wide range of formats include books, newspapers, manuscripts, maps, plans, photographs, art works, ephemera, ceramics, textiles and audio visual materials.

Collecting historical resources is an essential role of Local Studies. Sharing these resources is just as important and this is achieved in a variety of ways with exhibitions, workshops, outreach activities and social media posts.

The Mosman Local Studies Collection is available for use during library hours. It is not necessary to be a member of the Library to use the collection and 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.

• Mosman Memories of Your Street

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

• Doing Our Bit

  To commemorate the centenary of The First World War, the Mosman Library Service created Doing Our Bit as a way to collect and share information about the wartime experiences of local service people.

• Mosman Voices

  Listen to extracts from interviews held in the Mosman Oral History Collection.

• Mosman Faces

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

• Genealogy

  The Family History Collection holds various resources including birth, death and marriage records, cemetery registers, electoral rolls, probate indexes, shipping records and directories. The library subscribes to online resources Ancestry.com and Findmypast and free access is available at the library.

• Image Collection - Trace

  A digital archive of photographs, documents, newspapers, council minutes, maps, subdivision plans, oral histories, realia, ephemera, textiles and ceramics. Digitising the historic collection is ongoing and new items continue to be added to Trace: Mosman Library Service Digital Archive.

• 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.

• 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.

• Your Story is Our Treasure: donating history

  A look at some of the wonderful and rare items donated to the Mosman Local Studies Collection and the stories they tell.

• Mosman Historical Society

  The Mosman Historical Society is a community based Society, which promotes the history and heritage of Mosman and aspects of Australian history.

• Exhibitions

  Exhibitions are one of the most important ways of sharing Mosman’s stories. Exhibitions are on view in the Mosman Room and cover a range of topics featuring materials from the Mosman Local Studies Collection and private collections.