At a Glance
- RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi is among 60 prominent Australians who shared their personal library story in the State Library of NSW’s 200th anniversary book, The Library That Made Me. Hers is all about growing up at Lane Cove Library.
- Residents can share their own library story via the State Library’s Share Your Story project.
- New members who join at any Lane Cove Library branch in July go into the draw for a prize pack, with winners announced in the August newsletter.
- Lane Cove Library hosts an Open Day on Thursday 30 July, 10am to 7:30pm, with local history drop-ins, storytime, recorded book reviews and an evening talk on AI.
We recently published an article about how, for the second year running, Lane Cove Library lends more items per resident than any other library. You can read more here.
As part of celebrating the State Library of NSW’s 200th anniversary, the library recently invited people from all walks of life to share their memories and experiences of their local library. Nagi Maehashi is among 60 prominent Australians who contributed their own stories to the companion book, The Library That Made Me: 200 Years of the State Library of NSW.
The State Library of NSW describes the book as:
“Its evolution, its remarkable collection and its people. The library has earned its enduring place in the heart of the city, and in the hearts of readers and visitors everywhere.
In the early days members were vetted, women weren’t welcome and having fiction on the shelves raised eyebrows. Libraries today are vibrant cultural hubs open to all and are shaped by the people they serve.
A love letter to libraries everywhere, The Library That Made Me is a book readers will want on permanent loan. It will make you wonder about the library that made you.”
Nagi Maehashi
Nagi Maehashi, the force behind RecipeTin Eats, was one of the people interviewed, and the library that helped shape the person she is today was Lane Cove Library.
Nagi describes how Lane Cove Public School being situated so close to Lane Cove Library shaped her afternoons as a child. With both her parents working, the library became a practical solution to the family’s after-school care problem for three kids. But for Nagi it soon became more.
Nagi tells it as a bit of a daggy secret that turned into something the local kids actually looked forward to. Once word got around, one by one the neighbourhood kids ditched after-school care altogether, choosing instead to loiter out the front of Lane Cove Library before eventually drifting inside. On the way, there was always a stop at the milk bar, where 30 cents bought a paper bag stuffed with as many freckles and caramel drops as it could hold. For Nagi, it became the daily routine, one she kept up from Grade Four right through until high school.
Nagi’s relationship with Lane Cove Library didn’t end after she left school. She continued to borrow books there well into her twenties, even after moving away from Lane Cove, including plenty of cookbooks along the way.
Nagi might be in the business of selling cookbooks, but she still believes a library is a great way to discover great cookbook writers and recipes. She remembers the first cookbook she borrowed from the library was written by Maggie Beer.
Nagi says:
“I encourage people to borrow cookbooks from their library. It’s ironic because I’m a cookbook author, but I would buy so many cookbooks and use just one recipe, so I started borrowing them instead. Then I buy the ones that I use multiple recipes from.
It’s a great way to discover gems. I’ve got some recipes on my website that come from some obscure cookbook or other I’ve borrowed from the library. I’ve found one recipe, tried it, loved it, shared it. Cookbooks are expensive, and they take up room, which is why I’m so flattered when people buy mine.
I still have my Lane Cove library card.”
The Library That Made Us: You Can Get Involved
You can get involved in sharing your own story. Submit your story here.
In a recording for the State Library’s Share Your Story project, two former students, Dani and Kat, call Lane Cove Library “the library that has made us”. One describes spending “many, many years of my student life at Lane Cove Library, taking me all the way through high school and a six-year uni degree”, always trying “to get a seat by the window”.
They remember the pizza nights the library laid on for Year 12s, the priority it gave stressed students who could not study at home, and the late-night study sessions where an HSC marker came in to help. Recently graduated, they are looking forward to coming back “more for pleasure”. “We love Lane Cove Library.”
Join Up and Come Along for Open Day
For the second year running, Lane Cove Library lends more items per resident than any other library in NSW. If you are not currently a library member, July 2026 is the month to join.
Lane Cove Library is encouraging locals to join up, and everyone who signs up for a new membership in July at any Lane Cove Library branch will go into the draw to win a special prize pack. Prize winners will be announced in the August library newsletter.
The library is also opening its doors for a Library Open Day on 30 July 2026 to show residents why it is the top lending library in NSW, as part of the Open Doors, Open Books, Open Minds event. This is a coordinated statewide Library Open Day, delivered by the NSW Public Libraries Association and the State Library of NSW during Library and Information Week.
The campaign aims to increase visibility and understanding of library services, strengthen advocacy, and grow membership by welcoming new audiences and highlighting the many ways libraries support their communities.
Cover Photo: Our cover photo was supplied by the State Library of NSW. The photographer is acclaimed food and lifestyle photographer Rob Palmer.
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