History of the Collection

The Royal Society of New South Wales (RSNSW) was established in 1821. From 1875 onwards, the Society exchanged publications with scientific organizations in other countries. By 1983, it was no longer possible for the Royal Society to house the Collection in Sydney. At this point, the Library was agreed to take over the Collection, which then consisted of more than 35,000 volumes. Over subsequent years, the Collection has continued to grow.

Major subject areas in the Collection are the natural sciences and mathematics, including astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology and palaeontology. It includes thousands of volumes in foreign languages, some available nowhere else in Australia.

Details of the Collection available from A Catalogue of the Royal Society Collection. 1989 (R017.1/U58c).

Accessing the Collection

Direct access to the Royal Society Collection is not possible.

Researchers may request retrieval of individual items from the Collection in advance using the Closed Collection Retrieval Request form. Items requested by 2.00 PM are available for use at the Service Desk by 3.00 PM on the same day.

Questions regarding the collection may be directed to the Curator, Kathy McMaugh.