News from the Library

The Western Australian Government has announced that mandatory contact registers at relevant businesses and venues will be introduced from 5 December 2020.  Maintaining a contact register is an extra safety measure and one of the most effective ways to control the spread of COVID-19.

Today is Remembrance Day. To honour the sacrifice of all those who fought in the First World War, and subsequent wars, The State Library will be observing one minute’s silence at 11:00am.

Pick up a book and join the State Library for Australian Reading Hour on 12 November 2020.

It is never too early or too late to get stuck into reading!

• State Library reopens today
• 20 people at one time for one hour at a time
• Comprehensive COVID safety plan in place

The State Library of Western Australia has today (May 18) reopened its doors to the public after being closed for 56 days.

This new collection is available for loan, supports Aboriginal language learning and encourages the speaking of traditional languages.

A new, free digital platform that provides access to the extraordinary collections from Western Australia's main cultural institutions through a single, searchable portal, has gone live.

Australia’s national, state and territory libraries have come together in a world-first collaboration to build a national digital collection, with the new national edeposit service (NED) launching this week.

• An exhibition opens at the Museum of Geraldton exploring the legacy of John Forrest’s 1874 trek in shaping Western and South Australian exploration history.
• The project contributes to a more balanced and inclusive understanding of Western Australia’s history including perspectives of Aboriginal peoples.

• Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, Leigh Sales, Professor Geoff Gallop, Professor Tracy Westerman and Bri Lee to present at the annual Disrupted Festival
• Disrupted will be held at the State Library of Western Australia on the weekend of July 27-28 

The State Library of Western Australia is pleased to present an exhibition curated by its 2018/19 James Sykes Battye Creative Fellows, Steven James Finch and Gabby Loo. 

The State Library of Western Australia is putting out a call for election campaign materials.

Election campaign material issued by candidates tells a lot about Western Australia’s cultural, social and political history.

State Library and Rio Tinto win Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence category at Pinnacle Awards. Rio Tinto commits a further $1.42 million to the Better Beginnings Family Literacy Program. Better Beginnings reaches 96 per cent of Western Australian families. 

• The State Library's oral history collection of Migration Voices will be added to UNESCO's Australian Memory of the World national register
• The oral histories tell both personal and collective stories of adjustment to life in a new country and what it means to become Australian

The Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards aims to support, develop and recognise excellence in writing.

For the 2018 Awards there will be four awards:

The State Library of Western Australia will be involved in the 16 Days in WA to Stop Violence Against Women campaign for 2018. Lighting the Library’s ground floor in the 16 Days campaign colour, orange, the Library will help to spread awareness about family and domestic violence to visitors of the Perth Cultural Centre.

The State Library of Western Australia is pleased to present a free public talk by Peter Ellery AM about the 1975 discovery of the giant Greater Sunrise oil and gas field in the Timor Sea. Ellery is the former CEO of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and Manager of Government and Public Affairs for Woodside Energy.

• The new $50 note celebrates Western Australian icon, Edith Cowan OBE
• Photographs from State Library's collection sourced for banknote design 

• Exhibit features Richard Woldendorp’s photographs held in the State Library collection
• Un/nature reflects the ways in which the Western Australian landscape has changed over time
• Free event, open from 9 August to 23 September 2018

• The free Disrupted Festival of Ideas is on this weekend at the State Library, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 July.
• Keynote speakers Craig Silvey, Genevieve Bell and Munjed al Muderis feature in a program of events that will inspire conversation and provoke ideas.

Find everything you need to know about upcoming exhibitions, events and workshops at the State Library in July, August & September in one handy guide.

State Library What's On: July, August & September (PDF 1.9MB)

At last night’s Library Board of Western Australia Awards ceremony held at the State Library of Western Australia, the City of Armadale received the Library Board of Western Australia Award for Innovation and Excellence.

The State Library of Western Australia is pleased to announce that Dr Ethan Blue has been awarded the James Sykes Battye Memorial Fellowship for 2018.

The WA Heritage Film Appeal, is a crowdfunding campaign calling on all who have an interest in the State’s heritage and in saving historical  film and television archives, has been launched by State Library of Western Australia.

• Better Beginnings resources for infants with vision impairment
• Benefits of reading to children aged 0-3 years
• Rio Tinto acknowledged for investing in early childhood literacy 

• Minderoo Foundation partners with State Library to fund major history project
• Project to re-trace Sir John Forrest’s 1874 trek from Geraldton to Adelaide  
• Award-winning Storylines will capture an Aboriginal point of view

• Over 120 individuals and organisations contributed to the State Library’s heritage collections in 2017
• Rio Tinto acknowledged for financial support
• State Library launches Peer of the State Library, a donor recognition program.

• ​New approach to ensure public libraries reflect community expectations
• A single access card and management system among the measures touted
• An implementation working group is being established to lead the consultation process
• Public urged to provide comment on background paper and strategy released today

• Bird Song exhibit offers an interactive, educational experience for children and families
• Exhibit features John Hutchinson bird call recordings paired with scientific illustrations of WA birds 
• Free event open from 6 November to 31 January 2018

The State Library is now accepting public donations of campaign material in the lead up to the local government ordinary elections on 21 October.

Printed posters, flyers, how-to-vote cards, stickers and badges along with electronic campaign material such as emails, are welcomed.

The State Library is set to contribute to Perth’s thriving start-up scene with its own co-working space for entrepreneurs and creative thinkers. Taking its name from the Dewey decimal classification for knowledge, Studio 001 offers a fully equipped office space for individuals and teams to get their business ideas, plans and projects off the ground.

Find everything you need to know about upcoming exhibitions, events and workshops at the State Library in October, November & December in one handy guide.

State Library What's On: October, November & December (PDF 1.9MB)

• Photograph exhibit The Beauty of Zhejiang Province showcases Western Australia’s beautiful Sister State in China
• Display includes 80 photographs capturing the dynamic landscape, vibrant people and culture of the Zhejiang Province
• Free exhibit open until Wednesday 23 August, 2017

• Disrupted Festival of Ideas to run Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30 at State Library
• Keynote speakers Tara Moss, Tiernan Brady and Kon Karapanagiotidis will feature in free events
• About 2,500 people are expected to attend, increasing vibrancy and activity in the Cultural Centre 

Disrupted Festival of Ideas is a weekend (29-30 July) of free conversations, intimate walking tours, live music and creativity, taking over the State Library of Western Australia.

At the Library Board of Western Australia Awards ceremony held at the State Library of Western Australia on Thursday May 25, Ms Nola Allen, Ms Susan Ashcroft and Ms Sue North were each conferred the distinction of Fellow of the Library Board of Western Australia for exceptional service to the community in the development of the Better Beginnings family literacy pro

Welcome to the March edition of the Connect eNewsletter. Find out about the latest news, events, exhibitions and acquisitions at the State Library of Western Australia.

March Connect eNewsletter (PDF 890KB)

Celebrate UNESCO World Poetry Day, Tuesday 21 March 2017.  Join three Perth poets at the State Library for a reading of their works.

Capturing the creative spirit and discovering our stories are the common themes that unite the State Library of Western Australia and UNESCO in the celebration of World Poetry Day.

Simpson and his Donkey artworks find new home at State Library.

Community language schools have received a welcome new resource with the launch of the Community Languages Collection at the State Library of Western Australia.

Renowned Australian author Helen Garner has won Western Australia's top literary award, the prestigious $25,000 Premier's Prize, at the 2016 Western Australian Premier's Book Awards.

The State Library has purchased the first detailed chart of the west Australian coast, published in 1753. The chart was prepared by Johannes van Keulen, the Dutch East India Company’s mapmaker, using information from Willem de Vlamingh’s manuscript chart of his exploration voyage of 1696-97.

The State Library’s collection of election ephemera gives a glimpse into Western Australia’s cultural, social and political history.

The State Library of Western Australia is pleased to announce that Dr Anne Scrimgeour is the recipient of the JS Battye Memorial Fellowship for 2016, and that artists Nicola Kaye and Stephen Terry have been awarded the inaugural JS Battye Creative Fellowship.