State Library of South Australia facts for kids
The State Library of South Australia, also known as SLSA, is the main library for the Australian state of South Australia. You can find it on North Terrace, Adelaide. It's the biggest public research library in the state.
The library collects and keeps all printed and audiovisual materials published in South Australia. This is required by a law called legal deposit. It has a special collection called "South Australiana." This collection shows the history of South Australia from before European settlers arrived until today. The library also has many other materials like digital files, films, sound recordings, photos, and microfiche. You can even access many journals, newspapers, and other resources online from home.
Contents
How the Library Started
Early Days (1800s)
In 1834, before South Australia was even officially a colony, a group of important people in London started the South Australian Literary Association. Their goal was to share useful knowledge in the new colony. They gathered a collection of books to start the colony's library. These books arrived in South Australia on a ship called the Tam O'Shanter in 1836.
Later, in 1838, the first Adelaide Mechanics' Institute began. Mechanics' Institutes were places where working men could get an education. This group joined with the Literary and Scientific Association. They called themselves the Adelaide Literary and Scientific Association and Mechanics' Institute. They had a library and offered lectures.
In 1844, a new group formed the South Australian Subscription Library. This library collected books through donations and fees. In 1845, it took over the books from the earlier Literary and Scientific Association and Mechanics' Institute. This library hired its first full-time librarian.
More institutes and societies started up around Adelaide. Some of them asked the government for money. In 1856, the government passed a law called the South Australian Institute Act. This law created the South Australian Institute. It took over all the materials from the old library and Mechanics' Institute.
This new law was important because it made the library free for everyone to use. It also gave the library money to operate. This made the library very popular, especially with workers, who often filled it up in the evenings. At first, it was a lending library, meaning people could borrow books. The law also created a museum as part of the new organisation.
As more books arrived from Britain, the library grew. It needed a bigger space and moved to North Terrace in 1860.
In 1878, a law called the Copyright Act said that a copy of every book published in South Australia had to be given to the Institute. This is called legal deposit. It helps make sure books are kept safe for the future.
In 1884, another law changed the name of the South Australian Institute to the Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery. It also created a new, separate group called the Adelaide Circulating Library. This group handled borrowing books for a fee.
The Library in the 1900s
In 1939, a new law separated the Public Library from the Art Gallery of South Australia and the South Australian Museum. The library got its own board and was renamed the Public Library of South Australia. This made it an independent organisation.
Today, the library is still guided by the Libraries Act from 1982.
Mortlock Wing
The beautiful building known as the Mortlock Wing opened on December 18, 1884. It was called the "Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery for the colony of South Australia." When it opened, it had 23,000 books and only three staff members.
It took a long time to build this wing. The first foundations were laid in 1866, but work stopped and started many times. The foundation stone was finally laid in 1879. The building cost a lot of money, about £43,897.
The Mortlock Wing is designed in a French Renaissance style. It has a special mansard roof. The walls are made of brick with light-coloured Sydney freestone. Darker Manoora stone is used for decorations.
Inside, there are two levels of balconies. The first level is held up by stone columns, and the second by metal brackets. The balconies have fancy wrought iron railings decorated with gold. The roof is made of glass, which lets natural light fill the room.
In 1985, the building was restored. This big project cost $1.5 million and was paid for by the government and the community.
In 1986, the wing was named the Mortlock Library of South Australiana. This was to honour John Andrew Tennant Mortlock, who left a large gift to the library. A part of the "South Australiana" collection is kept here.
After a major update to the State Library from 2001 to 2004, the main room of the Mortlock Wing became an exhibition space. It now shows visitors a glimpse into South Australia's history and culture.
In 2014, the Mortlock Wing was even listed as one of the top 20 most beautiful libraries in the world by an American magazine called Travel + Leisure.
Special Collections
South Australian Heritage
The State Library has a very important job: to collect, keep, and share information about South Australia's past and present. The "South Australiana" collections tell the story of South Australia from before European settlement until today. They also cover the Northern Territory up to 1911. This collection is one of the most complete in the world. This is because of the legal deposit laws and also because people donate many unpublished materials. A famous donation is the Bradman Collection, which has many items related to cricket.
York Gate Library
The York Gate Library is a special collection of nearly 5,000 books and pamphlets. It was bought from the family of Stephen William Silver. He owned a company in London that sold clothes and equipment to people moving to the British Colonies. He started collecting books and objects about the places his customers were moving to. These were kept at his home, 3 York Gate, London, which is why it's called the York Gate Library.
When he passed away in 1905, a group in South Australia raised money to buy the collection. They wanted to bring these important books to Australia.
Mountford-Sheard Collection
The Mountford-Sheard Collection includes journals, sound recordings, and other works by Charles P. Mountford. This collection is so important that it's listed on UNESCO's Memory of the World.
It has great cultural meaning for Aboriginal Australians, especially those from central Australia, the Flinders Ranges (Adnyamathanha people), Arnhem Land (Yolngu people), and the Tiwi Islands (Tiwi people). The materials respectfully show the lives of the people they document.
Rare Books
The State Library has the biggest collection of rare books in South Australia. These are Australian and international items that are special because of their topic or how rare they are.
Children's Literature Research Collection
The Children's Literature Research Collection started in 1959. It has over 65,000 items, including books, magazines, comics, board games, and toys. Many people and families in South Australia, as well as organisations, have donated to this collection. It's one of the State Library's heritage collections and is important worldwide.
Working with Others
The Library works with the History Trust of South Australia to manage the Centre of Democracy. This centre is on the corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue. Its gallery shows important items from the History Trust and State Library collections. It also displays items borrowed from other places like State Records of South Australia and Art Gallery of South Australia.
National edeposit system (NED)
The State Library is part of a group called National and State Libraries Australia. They worked together to create the National edeposit (NED) system. This system lets publishers from all over Australia upload their electronic books and other publications. This is required by law. These publications can then be accessed online by the public through a website called Trove.
