From the New South Wales State Library:
The State Library of NSW’s collection has just been valued at $3.15 billion [$2.32 Billion/USD], highlighting its reputation as the most valuable library collection in Australia and among the most valuable in the world.
NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for the Arts, Troy Grant said this latest valuation, nearly a $1 billion increase since 2010, reinforces the State Library as one of the leading libraries in the world.
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According to Alex Byrne, NSW State Librarian & Chief Executive: “With the Library’s entire world‐class collection now searchable online as a result of the Government‐funded eRecords Project, the independent valuers were able to identify more collection items which met the criteria for individual valuation.”
“In addition, some of the Library’s special collections, including rare books from the 16th century, were identified for valuation for the first time.”
Dr Byrne believes that the substantial increase in the value of the State Library’s collection reinforces the importance of cultural collections. Not only are they valued highly in dollar terms but are of extraordinary cultural value.
“The enormous cultural value of the Library’s collection has been recognised internationally by UNESCO with three of our collections – 236 soldier’s diaries from World War One [European War Collecting Project], The Holtermann Archive and our nine First Fleet journals – included on the Australian Register of the Memory of the World.”
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