Celebrating 190 years 1833 – 2023
Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts (SMSA) has been proudly supporting its Members for 190 years.
We are committed to providing our membership with services and benefits designed to continuously improve performance and to help build a successful and sustained community.
The SMSA is home to the Tom Keneally Centre and operates the longest – running lending library in Australia.
The Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts is a self-funded not-for-profit organisation, wholly owned by its members and has made a major contribution to Sydney’s culture, industry, society and politics since 1833.
Learn more about our history
Our library collection has over 30,000 books on the shelves – covering all genres inclusing fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, biography and poetry. Many people know us for having the best crime fiction collection in Sydney.
You have the basic French language under your belt and you’re ready to delve deeper into the wide world of French? This SMSA Members group…
Sunset Boulevard is a film noir drama which tells the story of Norma Desmond, an ageing silent-film star who dreams of making a return to…
Historian Richard White joins us to talk about the new edition of Symbols of Australia: Imagining a Nation (2021).
Dear Members, On behalf of the Staff and Board I would like to express how wonderful it has been to see members return to the SMSA this year. With the lifting of Covid 19 restrictions throughout the year there have been many opportunities for us all to reconnect in person at events, in the library […]
Tom Keneally wins the 2022 ARA Historical Novel PrizeSMSA are thrilled to congratulate Tom Keneally on winning the 2022 ARA Historical Novel Prize (Adult Category) with his book Corporal Hitler’s Pistol (2021).
Hire our large Theatre or our flexible Meeting Rooms that can be configured to meet your needs.
Hire SMSA for your next AGM, conference or product launch. We have rooms perfect for talks, lectures, seminars and training days, not to mention committee meetings, film nights, and recreation groups.
We are home to a unique collection of books, a highlight being our Mystery and Crime section.
We are honoured to be the home of Tom Keneally’s personal collection of books, many of which have been used as research for his own work.
Join a members group, share your passions, learn new skills and get involved.
We provide a variety of member only events, these are relaxed social occasions to have fun and make new friends.