State Library of Queensland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids State Library of Queensland |
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Exterior of State Library
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| Former names | The Brisbane Public Library The Public Library of Queensland |
| Alternative names | SLQ |
| General information | |
| Type | Public Building |
| Location | Kurilpa Point, South Bank, Brisbane |
| Address | Cultural Precinct, Stanley Place, South Bank, South Brisbane, Queensland |
| Coordinates | 27°28′16″S 153°01′06″E / 27.471087°S 153.018281°E |
| Construction started | 2004 |
| Completed | 2006 |
| Inaugurated | 25 November 2006 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 5 |
| Floor area | 28000m2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Donovan Hill, Peddle Thorp |
| Awards and prizes | RAIA Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture, 2007 RAIA Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture, 2007 |
The State Library of Queensland (often called SLQ) is the main library for the people of Queensland, Australia. It's like a giant treasure chest of information and stories, provided by the Queensland government. The library holds many important historical items from Queensland. It also has huge collections for research and learning. You can find the library at Kurilpa Point, which is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre on the Brisbane River at South Bank.
Contents
History of the Library
The library started a long time ago! In 1896, it was called the Brisbane Public Library. Two years later, in 1898, its name changed to the Public Library of Queensland. It first opened its doors to the public in 1902.
In 1934, a special part of the library opened called the Oxley Memorial Library. This section was named after the explorer John Oxley. It was created for people to research and study things specifically about Queensland.
In 1947, James L. Stapleton became Queensland's first State Librarian. He believed that the library needed a new building. He also thought that library services should be free for everyone. He was the longest-serving leader of the library. After him, five other people have held the top job, including Lea Giles-Peters, who was the first woman to be appointed to the position.
In 1971, the "Public Library" officially became the "State Library." The next year, a new service was created to help local libraries across Queensland. This service also helped pay for trained staff in public libraries. Later, the Country Lending Service began. It helped libraries in smaller towns by exchanging books and offering other services. Today, this service is still active and is called Rural Libraries Queensland.
Since 2003, the State Library has been working to create special places called Indigenous Knowledge Centres (IKCs). These centres are mostly in Cape York and the Torres Strait areas. Now, there are 22 IKCs in different communities. They are in remote and regional areas, including Cherbourg in South East Queensland.
The State Library's main goal today is to make life better for Queenslanders. It does this by helping people connect with information, knowledge, and their communities in creative ways. In 2011, the library shared 50,000 pictures with Wikimedia Commons. This made them free for everyone to use!
What You Can Find and Do
The State Library has many different collections. These include books, magazines, newspapers, and even old movies or sound recordings. You can also find family history records, maps, music, and lots of online resources.
There are special research collections too. One is the John Oxley Library, which focuses on Queensland's history. Another is the Australian Library of Art, which has many items about Australian art.
The library is also home to two very important collections. They are so special that UNESCO has listed them as "Memory of the World" items. These are the Labour Party Manifesto and the Margaret Lawrie collection. The Margaret Lawrie collection has amazing materials from the Torres Strait Islands.
The library also keeps a collection of things related to Queensland elections. This includes websites, posters, and how-to-vote cards. Another cool collection is the Frank and Eunice Corley House Photographs Collection. It has over 60,000 photos of houses in Brisbane suburbs!
Services for You
- You can look at all the collections, including 50,000 free Queensland images on Wikimedia Commons.
- The library sends books and other materials to public libraries all over Queensland.
- It offers special help to public libraries, especially for young people and different cultural groups.
- You can enjoy public programs and exhibitions. The library even lends exhibitions to schools and museums.
- The library helps people learn how to do research and use the internet.
- It provides library services for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. This includes setting up Indigenous Knowledge Centres.
- There's a cool digital centre called The Edge, especially for young people.
- The Business Studio is a free space for new businesses and entrepreneurs.
Guided Tours
You can take free guided tours of the library building. In 2010, over 3,700 school students went on a tour!
Rural Libraries Queensland
Rural Libraries Queensland works with the State Library and about 30 local councils. Together, they provide library services to communities in rural areas.
National edeposit (NED)
The State Library of Queensland is part of a group of libraries across Australia. They helped create a system called National edeposit (NED). This system lets publishers upload electronic books and other materials. People can then access these online through Trove, depending on the rules.
The Library Building
The Brisbane Public Library first moved into the Old State Library Building in William Street in 1899. This building used to be home to the Queensland Museum.
The library shared the building with an art gallery at first. In the late 1950s, a new part was added to the building. This extension had a special tiled mural on the outside. The mural was the winning design from a national competition held in 1958.
In 1988, the State Library of Queensland moved to its current home. This new building is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre at South Bank. It's close to the Queensland Museum and the original Queensland Art Gallery.
In 2004, a big project called the Millennium Library Project began. This was a huge makeover for the library building. After three years of hard work, the South Bank building officially reopened on November 25, 2006. It became a "new cultural and knowledge destination." New areas were added, like the kuril dhagun Indigenous Knowledge Centre. There's also The Corner, a fun activity area for children under 8 and their families.
The newly updated building was designed by two architecture companies from Brisbane: Donovan Hill and Peddle Thorp. Their amazing work won them several important awards. These included the RAIA Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture in 2007. This award is for the best public building in Australia! They also won awards for the building's interior design and for being the best building in Brisbane that year.
The library building looks out over Stanley Place. It is located between the Queensland Art Gallery and the new Queensland Gallery of Modern Art.
