Library Council of New South Wales
The Library Council of New South Wales is the governing body of the State Library of New South Wales, as described in The Library Act 1939. The Library Council also has specific responsibilities to monitor the operation of public libraries in NSW which includes inspections and the payment of financial subsidies.
Legislation
The Library Act lists three current objectives for Library Council:History
Board of Trustees
When the Library Act 1969 amendment came into effect on 1 July 1969, The Board of Trustees who had overseen the operation of the two parts of the State Library of New South Wales, the Public Library and the Mitchell Library, was replaced by a newly established Library Council.Library Board of New South Wales
Prior to March 1975, two organisations guided the provision of public library services for the people of New South Wales. The Library Council of New South Wales and the Library Board of New South Wales. The Library Board of New South Wales was established to administer subsidies under the Library Act 1939, to assist local municipal councils in establishing and operating public libraries. The Board oversaw inspections of the public libraries operated by local government and advice provided on the establishment of public library facilities in communities and co-operation between local government authorities to create regional library services.Amalgamation of the Board and the Council
In 1974, a joint recommendation was put forward by the Library Board of New South Wales and the Library Council "for a merger which would give the Library Council responsibility for running the Public Library of New South Wales, administering grants to the New South Wales library service and advising the minister."Membership
The Council is a committee made up of members of the public. The nine members of the Council are nominated by the Minister for the Arts and appointed to a three-year term by the Governor of New South Wales. The Library Act specifies that the Council must include at least one person who has knowledge of, or experience in, education, and at least one person who has knowledge of, or experience in, local government. The NSW State Librarian is the Secretary of the Library Council.President of Library Council
Many prominent community members have served on Library Council and the position of president has been held by:| Dates | Name |
| 1890–1906 | J. Norton |
| 1906–1912 | Professor Mungo William MacCallum |
| 1912–1924 | J.A. Dowling |
| 1924–1926 | W. Wood |
| 1927–1937 | Sir Daniel Levy |
| 1937–1963 | Rt. Hon. H. V. Evatt |
| 1963–1967 | Hon. Sir John Ferguson |
| 1968–1973 | Professor A.J. Dunston |
| 1974–1979 | Hon. Mr Justice Rae Else-Mitchell |
| 1979–1983 | Dulcie Stretton |
| 1983–1986 | R. Hall |
| 1986–1989 | Dr A.M. Hertzberg |
| 1990–1996 | J. Bain |
| 1997–2005 | Hon. Justice M. Pearlman |
| 2005–2006 | Belinda Hutchinson |
| 2007– 2014 | Robert Thomas |
| 2015– 2016 | Andrew Tink |
| 2016-present | George Souris |