The State Library of Queensland (SLQ) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, which draws its powers from the Libraries Act 1988. It contains a significant portion of Queensland's documentary heritage, major reference and research collections, and is an advocate of and partner with public libraries across Queensland. The Library is at Kurilpa Point, within the Queensland Cultural Centre on the Brisbane River at South Bank.
History
The Brisbane Public Library was established by the government of the Colony of Queensland in 1896, and was renamed the Public Library of Queensland in 1898. The library was opened to the public in 1902.
In 1934, the Oxley Memorial Library (now the John Oxley Library), named for the explorer John Oxley, opened as a centre for research and study relating specifically to Queensland. The Libraries Act of 1943 established the Library Board of Queensland to manage the Public Library of Queensland; three years later, under the terms of The Oxley Memorial Library of Queensland Act, it took over management of the Oxley Memorial Library as well.
In March 1947, James L. Stapleton was appointed Queensland's first State Librarian. Stapleton advocated for a new building for the library and that library services should be free to the public.
In 1971, the "Public Library" became the "State Library". The following year, the Public Library Service was established to liaise with Queensland local governments regarding their public libraries; a subsidy for employing qualified staff in public libraries was also established. A few years later the Country Lending Service was established to provide book exchange and other services to public libraries in Queensland's smaller local government areas. Under the new name of Rural Libraries Queensland, the service is still going strong today, administered by the State Library's Public and Indigenous Library Services program.
The old State Library with extension, built in the late 1950s
In 2003, the State Library began a new mission of establishing Indigenous Knowledge Centres (IKCs) in the Cape York and Torres Strait areas. There is now a network of 22 IKCs in remote and regional communities: across Cape York, the islands of the Torres Strait, Central Queensland and at Cherbourg in South East Queensland.
Between 2006 and 2009, the library was extensively renovated both internally and externally, including the addition of a fifth floor, a large addition facing the river, and a new entrance. In 2010, the neighbouring riverside building housing the Fountain Room restaurant and an auditorium became part of the library and following some modifications was redesignated as "The Edge" and used to hold workshops, creative activities, events and exhibitions.
In early 2011, the library donated 50,000 pictures to Wikimedia Commons.
Collection and services
The State Library holds general collections, including books, journals and magazines, newspapers, audio-visual items, family history, maps, music, ephemera, Internet and electronic resources. There are research collections and services – including the John Oxley Library and the Australian Library of Art.
State Library's collection holds 7 significant collections, recognised for their importance by UNESCO's Australian Memory of the World Register:
Richard Stringer Architectural Photography Archive, includes over 63,000 photographic negatives and approximately 100,000 digital images, providing a substantial documentary record of Queensland’s built heritage from 1967-2021.
Services
Access to collections, including access to 50,000 Copyright-free Queensland images through Wikimedia Commons
Provides books and other resource material to public libraries throughout Queensland.
Specialist services to public libraries in a number of areas, including services to young people and multicultural communities
Public programs and exhibitions, including exhibition loans to schools, museums and other community organisations.
Outreach programs in reference, research, information literacy, Internet training and digitisation throughout Queensland for public library staff and the general community.
Library services to Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders including the establishment of Indigenous Knowledge Centres primarily in Cape York and Torres Strait regions and increasing the employment and training opportunities for Indigenous peoples in the library industry.
A digital culture centre called The Edge, for young people.
A free coworking space, the Business Studio, supports startups, entrepreneurs and small business.
kuril dhagun Indigenous Knowledge Centre
The Corner, an activities area for children under 8, their parents, carers, educators and friends.
a free 'Ask a Librarian' enquiry service
Exhibitions
The library has hosted a number of prominent exhibitions, including:
100 not out: a century of Queensland sporting memories (3 August - 17 November 2002)
A Few of our Favourite Things (25 November 2006 – 11 March 2007)
Bold but Faithful: John Oxley Library at work (4 April - 11 October 2009)
Transforming Tindale (6 September 2012 - 9 December 2012)
Hot Modernism (9 July – 12 October 2014)
Islands: hidden histories from Queensland Islands (30 Jun 2018 – 27 January 2019)
Home: A Suburban Obsession (7 December 2018 – 14 July 2019)
Plantation Voices (16 February - 8 September 2019)
Legacy: Reflections on Mabo (28 May 2022 – 9 October 2022)
Working Country (24 June 2023 – 28 January 2024)
Purpose Built: Architecture for a better tomorrow (2 September 2023 - 14 April 2024)
Tours
Free guided tours of the building are available. In 2010, a total of 3730 school students participated in a tour.
Rural Libraries Queensland
Rural Libraries Queensland (formerly the Country Library Service) is a collaboration between the State Library of Queensland and approximately 30 of the local government councils to provide library libraries to rural communities.
National edeposit (NED)
As a member library of National and State Libraries Australia, the organisation collaborated on the creation of the National edeposit (NED) system, which enables publishers from all over Australia to upload electronic publications as per the 2016 amendment to the Copyright Act 1968 and other regional legislation relating to legal deposit, and makes these publications publicly accessible online (depending on access conditions) from anywhere via Trove.
Architecture
Northern end of the State Library of QueenslandInterior of the State Library
The Library originally shared accommodation in the building with an art gallery. In the late 1950s, an extension, with a distinctive tiled mural by Lindsay Edward on the exterior, was built onto the building to provide more space. The mural was the winning design in a national competition held in 1958.
In 2004, work began on the Millennium Library Project - a major redevelopment of the existing State Library building. After three years of extensive redevelopment, the South Bank building officially re-opened on 25 November 2006 as "a new cultural and knowledge destination" and a fitting showcase for the collections.
This major redevelopment was the work of Brisbane-based architecture firms Donovan Hill and Peddle Thorp. Their work earned them several awards - the prestigious RAIA Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture, 2007 (award for best public building in Australia), the RAIA Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture, 2007, the RAIA Queensland Architecture Award for Brisbane Building of the Year 2007, the RAIA FDG Stanley Award for Public Buildings Architecture 2007, and the AIB Queensland Award for Project of the Year + Sustainability Commendation, 2007.
The Donovan Hill/Peddle Thorp additions transformed the State Library building, reconfiguring the entrance, adding another level and doubling its size with an additional 12,000 sqm of new space. Although the elements of the original Gibson scheme were preserved in the renovation, the building was deemed too altered to be included in the 2015 State Heritage Listing of the Cultural Centre.
The State Library building has since been described as an “open, generous knowledge place,” and one of Australia's "most cherished public living rooms".
The State Librarian is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Library. The role has been filled by the following people:
Vicki McDonald, State Librarian, 2023James L. Stapleton, 1947–1970, the longest-serving state librarian
Sydney Lawrence (Lawrie) Ryan 1970–1988
Des Stephens, 1988–2001
Lea Giles-Peters, 2001–2011, the first woman to be appointed to the position
Janette Wright, 2012–2015
Vicki McDonald OA FALIA, 2016–.
Governance
The State Library of Queensland is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, which draws its powers from the Libraries Act 1988. The Library comprises the following program units:
Content Development
Queensland Memory
Discovery
Information Communications and Technology Services
Regional Access and Public Libraries
Literacy and Young People
Public Library Development
Regional Partnerships
SLQ Cairns
Engagement and Partnerships
Indigenous Services
Visitor Experience
Learning and Participation
The Edge
Asia Pacific Design Library
Business Studio
Government Research and Information Library
Corporate Services
Finance, Facilities & Administration
HR Consultancy
Strategic Reporting
People and Planning
Office of the State Librarian
Communications
Queensland Library Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which raises funds for the library's projects
Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame
In 2009 State Library of Queensland, the Queensland Library Foundation and QUT Business School at Queensland University of Technology collaborated to establish the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame initiative. The QBLHOF recognises outstanding contributions made by organisations, companies and individuals to develop the Queensland economy and society, both contemporary and historical. A governing committee determines a list of inductees based on a set of criteria including:
Sustained leadership
Major financial contribution
Pioneering
Outstanding contribution
Achievement of iconic status
The inductees are announced each year in July at a gala event. Since 2014 the QBLHOF has also awarded an annual Fellowship, to recipients working on a research project that utilises the resources of the John Oxley Library to produce new interpretations of Queensland's business history.
Queensland Memory Awards
State Library hosts the annual Queensland Memory Awards. The program recognises contributions to the documentation, preservation, and celebration of Queensland’s memory – past and present – through fellowships and awards.
Fellowships support researchers and creatives of all kinds to interpret the significant collections of the John Oxley Library. Through deep engagement and interaction with the collections, these interpretations provide new insights into the collection and contribute new knowledge about Queensland’s history. The premier fellowship, the John Oxley Library Fellowship has been awarded since 2004. Other fellowships with a historical focus include:
Monica Clare Research Fellowship (First Nations history)
Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellowship (Business and economic history)
Digital Collections Catalyst (Use of digital collections and data)
Christina Boughen OAM Fellowship (Use of the Robert Boughen OBE and Christina Boughen OAM Collection)
Letty Katts Fellowship (Music history)
Research outcomes are published on the John Oxley Library blog.
The John Oxley Library Awards recognise outstanding contributions of individuals and organisations in the advancement of our understanding of Queensland’s cultural heritage. Some notable past recipients include: Dr Robert (Uncle Bob) Anderson OAM, Jackie Huggins, Richard Stringer, Matthew Condon, Professor Raymond Evans.
Walker, Paul. Millennium Library [Donovan Hill and Peddle Thorp rework Robin Gibson's State Library of Queensland edifice] Architecture Australia, Vol 96 No 2 Mar/Apr 2007, pp. 64–73.
.jpg)
