Mrs Windsor and the Essendon Public Library

This detail from a Charles Nettleton photo of the south end of the Essendon Town Hall, dated circa 1885-1887, shows “Public Library” and “Reading Room” painted on the glass of the upper storey windows.  Courtesy of the State

Library of Victoria Collection, H4521; LTAF 858.

Mrs Sarah Windsor was the first public librarian in Essendon.  She worked for the Council for a remarkable 56 years until her retirement in 1938, only a couple of years before the Council closed the library entirely.

The Time Travellers website carries the remarkable story of Sarah Windsor,  the daughter of a Van Diemen's Land convict, who became a well-known community figure in Essendon, retiring from her duties at the advanced age of 88.

Story featured in The Herald 30 March 1938 on Sarah's retirement.