Due to scheduled maintenance, the National Library’s online services will be unavailable between 8pm Friday 29 November and 11am Saturday 30 November. Find out more.
You may request an appointment of up to one hour with a librarian or curator if you require personalised professional guidance about
- resources in the Library’s collection that are relevant to your research, or
- research strategies and methodologies suitable for your specific research.
The Book a Librarian appointment may be requested
- by phoning our Ask a Librarian number (02) 6262 1266
- online
- in our reading rooms.
After your initial contact, an experienced librarian or curator will:
- contact you within a week to clarify your requirements and to set up a time for the consultation
- give you the choice of a telephone consultation or a consultation in the Library
- spend up to one hour preparing for the consultation
- spend up to an hour with you in consultation.
Before you request an appointment, please note
- the Book a Librarian service is primarily for registered Library users
- non-registered readers may request an appointment if intending to use our unique collections
- students will generally be referred to their educational institutions
The following assistance is outside the scope of the Book a Librarian service:
- request of a general nature not related to our collections
- teaching basic family history research methodology - see the Library's Family History Research Guide.
- general orientation tours and visits or sessions for special interest groups – see the Library’s school and teacher program and public library tours.