State Library of NSW Online Guides team visit

Dinah Sanson, Wendy Holz (front) Grazyna Tydda and Josephine Hennock from the State Library of NSW with Peter Douglass from Orange City Library at the Online Guides seminar.

Recently Orange City Library welcomed the online guides team from the State Library of NSW to conduct seminars for people researching HSC English, Convict History and Business topics. Central West Libraries Manager Jan Richards said the online guides have been developed by Library staff, recently updated and are good starting point to access the most useful print, online and electronic resources. One of the most fascinating seminars was on convicts. Wendy Holz led participants through the range of resources available following the life of the convict from the crime, sentencing, prison, hulks, convict ships, transportation, gaols and settlements to becoming free. She said 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia between 1788 and 1868. A total of 22 per cent of Australians or one in five Australians has convict ancestors. The State Library of NSW online guides can be accessed through the State Library of NSW website www.sl.nsw.gov.au. Central West Libraries also offers access to a range of online databases through its website www.cwl.nsw.gov.au.