Posted on
5 November 2024
- State Library launches Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan.
- Commitment to reconciliation and the celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and knowledge.
- Plan outlines the vision for reconciliation and actions to be delivered by December 2025.
On 5 November 2024, the State Library of Western Australia proudly launched its Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) as endorsed by Reconciliation Australia. The purpose of the RAP is to enable meaningful action to advance reconciliation and build upon existing work and partnerships.
The State Library joins a network of more than 2700 corporate, government and not-for-profit organisations that have made a formal commitment to reconciliation through the RAP program.
The State Library is honoured to be located on Whadjuk Country, the ancestral lands of the Noongar people, and acknowledges the traditional lands of all Western Australian Aboriginal communities and their cultural practices and knowledge and kinship systems.
As an organisation, we have a strong contribution to make in understanding our State’s shared history by supporting truth-telling and healing. The RAP marks a significant step in our commitment to reconciliation and the celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and knowledge.
The artwork on the front cover of the RAP, My Boodja, My Turtle Dreaming by Joanne Parfitt (artist name is Bungaan), was specially created for the State Library. The artwork also features on a new Acknowledgment of Country wall on the Ground Floor of the State Library building to welcome visitors and provide a deeper understanding of the land we live on.
You can read and download the Reflect RAP document on the State Library's Reconciliation Action Plan webpage.
Our Vision for Reconciliation
Our vision for reconciliation means recognising past wrongs, committing to opportunity for all and respecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the world’s oldest continuing cultures.
A reconciled Australia promotes togetherness, cooperation and cross-cultural sharing. It embraces and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their communities and their culture.
As part of our reconciliation journey, the State Library commits to engaging and partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Western Australia to collect, preserve, and share their stories.
The State Library also commits to providing a safe and welcoming space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, both face-to-face and online, where their stories and collections can be cared for and respectfully shared.
Comments attributed to CEO and State Librarian Catherine Clark:
“It is a privilege to present the State Library of Western Australia’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The State Library has a longstanding commitment to reconciliation through the collections, services and programs we offer across the state. We are proud of achievements to date, like the Storylines online archive which records and shares the memories and lived experiences of Aboriginal people from across Western Australia.”
“Recent research projects have enabled us to learn more about our collections and their significance. We know this work must continue every day to make a meaningful difference to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Western Australia.”
Comments to be attributed to the Hon John Day, Chairman of the Library Board of Western Australia:
“The Library Board is proud and committed to supporting the implementation of this Reflect RAP. We are dedicated to ensuring the State Library’s collections, services and programs are culturally safe, ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comm
The State Library has launched our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), endorsed by Reconciliation Australia. The purpose is to enable us to sustainably and strategically take meaningful action to advance reconciliation and build upon important work and partnerships already underway.
Topic