Welcome to Jessie Street National Women’s Library
“To keep women’s words, women’s works alive and powerful”
— Ursula K Le Guin
Please note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or printed material.
Jessie Street National Women’s Library is a unique specialist library dedicated to the preservation of Australian women’s work, words and history. The Library was established in 1989 and is named after Jessie Street, a lifelong campaigner for women’s rights, the peace movement and the elimination of discrimination against Aboriginal people.
The Library’s charter is to collect, preserve and promote knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritage of all women; social justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; international friendship and peace. Patrons are The Hon Quentin Bryce AD CVO; Elizabeth Evatt AC; Dr Beverley Kingston; Clover Moore AO, Lord Mayor of Sydney; Nadia Wheatley.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide for the Australian community a specialist library which collects, preserves and promotes the awareness of the cultural heritage of Australian women, facilitating learning, research and communication.
Our Aims
- To collect the published and unpublished materials which document the lives and experience of women of all ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds and of all socio-economic classes.
- To ensure that documents relating to Australian women’s lives and activities are preserved and made accessible.
- To highlight the contribution of Australian women to this country’s development.
- To support the field of women’s history.
Adele Horin
Topic: Do Newspapers Have a Future and Who Cares? Adele talked about the changing nature of newspapers with new social and other media eroding the readership and advertising base. She was concerned that without good journalism the ability to uncover corruption and...
Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Webby
Topic: What Were Women in Australia Reading in the 1880s? Elizabeth focused in particular on two women’s reading groups, one in Sydney and one in Hobart. She provided an overview of the literary culture of the period using the groups, their members and their reading...