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About our building works
We are making vital improvements to our much-loved heritage building. These improvements are designed to ensure we use our available space as efficiently as possible and safeguard the collection for future generations.
Some of this work includes:
- Restoring the brass framed heritage windows
- Improving how we store the collections kept onsite
- Upgrading the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Visitor experience redefined: what’s available during building works and what awaits
Our iconic building remains open to the public and you can still enjoy the following activities:
- Access our reading rooms for study, research or a well-deserved break
- Catch up with your friends and family at Bookplate cafe in the foyer
- Enjoy a coffee or light meal at Paperplate Cafe which is located on the Lower Ground Floor
- Purchase a book for yourself or a loved one at our bookstore
- Enjoy a free guided tour of the building, departing 11am daily from the foyer.
Temporary disruptions to the onsite experience are part of our progress. As you move around the Library building you may hear some construction noise. These improvements will take place on a rolling basis and different collection storage areas will be impacted at different times. This means that access to parts of our collection will be temporarily impacted between now and June 2025.
You will see scaffolding on the King Edward Terrace side of the building, but you can still access the building via the ramp and stairs as usual.
Our Special Collections Reading Room and Petherick Reading Room has been moved to a new temporary location on Lower Ground 1.
We appreciate your support and understanding as we make improvements to our much-loved heritage building.
Progress updates
Improvements to digitisation and photography areas
One way the Library provides access to its collections is by creating and making digital copies of its physical collection material (digitisation) accessible on Trove. The workspaces devoted to this work have been modernised and increased in size to meet the growing demand for digitised content. This work was completed in 2022.
Roof
The new gleaming copper sheeting has been installed and roof works have been fully completed.
Windows
The Windows Restoration Project will rejuvenate the Library’s appearance and improve its thermal performance.
You will see scaffolding and hoarding while the windows are replaced.
The replacement of windows overlooking the Patrick White Lawns and Commonwealth Avenue Bridge is complete. The windows to the exhibition galleries on the ground floor were restored to coincide with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrades in the galleries. The work was completed in June 2024.
The replacement of windows on the King Edward Terrace side of the building began in July 2024. This work will take approximately 12 months.
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Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
The Library stores part of the collection on site in areas that are not open to the public. When you visit the Library you can request collection material to be delivered to the Reading Rooms. As part of our ongoing stewardship and care for these collections, the Library is upgrading about a third of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system – focusing on the areas where these collections are stored.
Temporary changes to collection access
Some collection storage areas will be temporarily closed, limiting access to some collection material. Different collection storage areas will be impacted at different times, but Library visitors can continue to request collection deliveries to the Reading Rooms as usual.
To find out what collections are impacted and when, and to help you plan your requests, please visit our temporary changes to collection access page.
Find out more about the temporary change to collection access
Funding
These projects have been funded by the Australian Government, including from the Library’s annual appropriation or special projects funding.
