SLQ kuril dhagun

16/08/2026

State Library of Queensland is pleased to introduce Cultural Connect, an online platform providing access to State Library’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander digital collections. The website launches with an initial collection of 1300 photographs, with more to be added over time.

Cultural Connect supports community contribution of knowledge and stories, cultural protocols and data sovereignty, ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices shape how collections are shared and understood.

Explore the website here: https://qld.pulse.ly/x4wjywxevn

05/08/2026

Justices of the Peace at State Library

Did you know State Library is now an official location for the JPs in the Community program?

If you need a Justice of the Peace (JP) to witness your documents, certify copies or help with statutory declarations, you can now access this free and convenient service on the ground floor of State Library, South Bank.

Monday to Friday 9 am – 4 pm
Closed on public holidays

08/07/2026

Since 2022, State Library of Queensland has been documenting the life stories and experiences of First Nations Elders through the First Nations Elders Oral History Project. This growing collection of digital stories and oral histories honours the wisdom, cultural knowledge and enduring contributions of Queensland’s First Nations Elders.

This NAIDOC Week, we invite you to listen, learn and reflect as Elders share powerful stories of culture, resilience, connection and community — stories that continue to strengthen and inspire future generations. More: https://qld.pulse.ly/ww9m4igiwx

06/07/2026

What’s in a place name?

In her first blog as the 2026 Monica Clare Research Fellow, Dr Rose Barrowcliffe explores a fascinating 1923–24 survey that sought to document Aboriginal place names across Queensland—and the questions it raises about history, language and cultural knowledge.

Read more:
https://qld.pulse.ly/z26dcqubh5

📸: Dr Rose Barrowcliffe, 2026 Monica Clare Research Fellow. Joe Ruckli, photographer

05/07/2026

This week marks the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC Week — a significant milestone celebrating the history, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

State Library holds extensive collections, including photographs, manuscripts, oral histories and archival records, that preserve and share the stories, strength and resilience of First Nations communities across generations. One recent example is All Shades First Nations portraiture, a collection of 415 images taken by acclaimed Kamilaroi documentary photographer and filmmaker Dean Saffron. The full collection can be explored via our One Search catalogue: https://qld.pulse.ly/wq0ufkn1sp

Users are advised that this Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander material may contain images and names of deceased persons.

📸1: Portrait of Antione working at Delta Downs station, 2024. Dean Saffron, photographer. 34504 All Shades First Nations portraiture. State Library of Queensland. Image number: 34504-0001-0005

📸2: Tijuana on a quad bike at Yagrra Station, 2024. Dean Saffron, photographer. 34504 All Shades First Nations portraiture. State Library of Queensland. Image number: 34504-0022-0011

📸3: Silhouette of Kabibanna Browning and her surfboard at Noosa, 2024. Dean Saffron, photographer. 34504 All Shades First Nations portraiture. State Library of Queensland. Image number: 34504-0026-0005

📸4: Miranda Bond on horseback at Cherbourg, 2024. Dean Saffron, photographer. 34504 All Shades First Nations portraiture. State Library of Queensland. Image number: 34504-0010-0012

03/07/2026

Celebrate 50 Years of Deadly this NAIDOC Week at State Library!

We’re hosting an incredible lineup of events starting this Sunday, honouring and celebrating First Nations contributions. Here’s what’s on:

🎨 Cultural Collaborations at The Corner | Hands-on workshops for little ones including lino printing, sand painting, and music and dance.
⚓ Lugger Bort Research Reveals | Join Nerelle Nicol as she explores the fascinating history of First Nations seafarers in North Queensland's pearling, Bech-de-Mer and trochus industries.
🔧 Bush Mechanics screening | Catch all four episodes of this iconic TV series, of an Indigenous Australian take on motor mechanics.
📷 Through Mununjali eyes tour | A special First Nations led tour of photojournalist Wayne Coolwell's powerful exhibition.

Visit our website for more details.

📷 Image 1: Patrick Eric (Old Man Patrick) and Old Shark Major resting, 1990. Photographed by Craig Holmes. Craig Holmes Kowanyama photographs. John Oxley Library, State Library of QueenslandImage number: 32280-0002-0010.

📷 Image 2: Children at the Talking Circle, 2024. Photographed by Joe Ruckli.

📷 Image 3: Two men assisting a diver on a wharf, Torres Strait Islands, Far North Queensland, year unknown, Royal Geographical Society of Queensland lantern slide collection. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image number: 33656-0007-0079.

📷 Image 4: Bush Mechanics, 2001, Warlpiri Media Association.

📷 Image 5: Brothers in Arms Musgrave Park in central Brisbane, 1982.34172 Wayne Coolwell archive, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

02/07/2026

Queensland’s First Nations’ maritime history is vanishing. Before these stories are lost forever, researchers are working to bring them back to life.

Join us this NAIDOC Week on July 7 as 2025 Monica Clare Research Fellow Nerelle Nicol presents her research project, Lugger Bort. Stepping back in time, Nerelle explores the fascinating history of far North Queensland's pearling, Bech-de-Mer and trochus industries.

Discover stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander seafarers who worked in dangerous conditions to harvest pearls, trochus and sea cucumbers. You'll also learn about the rich maritime culture of song, dance and community that emerged from life on the water.

Following the conversation, we invite you to join us for a hands-on Black Gloves Experience – a chance to explore State Library's First Nations and maritime collection items.

Tickets are free, but bookings are essential.https://qld.pulse.ly/lksikxfqtk
📷 Image 1:Two men assisting a diver on a wharf, Torres Strait Islands, Far North Queensland, year unknown, Royal Geographical Society of Queensland lantern slide collection. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image number: 33656-0007-0079

📷 Image 2: Elevated view of luggers at Port Kennedy, Torres Strait Islands, Far North Queensland, year unknown, Royal Geographical Society of Queensland lantern slide collection. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image number: 33656-0007-0079

📷 Image 3: Pearl Divers, Torres Strait, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image number: 29819-0001-0002.

30/06/2026

The Coming of the Light is celebrated annually on 1 July in the Torres Strait and communities across Australia, commemorating the arrival of Christianity to the Torres Strait in 1871. In this oral history recorded for the Queensland Atlas of Religion, Aunty Pauline Ah Wang and Uncle Willie Wigness discuss their strong connection to the Waiben (Thursday Island) Anglican community, as well as sharing their thoughts and experiences relating to the Quetta Memorial Church and Island culture in Torres Strait. Watch the oral history interview: https://qareligion.pulse.ly/wbay6nmfuw

Uncle Willie and Aunty Pauline were central driving forces of the 150th anniversary celebrations for The Coming of the Light to Torres Strait in 2021.

The Queensland Atlas of Religion project is a partnership between State Library of Queensland and researchers from Religious Studies at UQ and History at UQ at the University of Queensland.

📸: Aunty Pauline Ah Wang and Uncle Willie Wigness, 2023

08/06/2026

Join the livestream for the Yuuingan Dhilla Yari Indigenous Languages Forum online today https://qld.pulse.ly/r6om6vz6s3

Returning with the theme Create to Connect: First Languages in Action, the forum showcases how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are being strengthened, shared and celebrated through community initiatives, education, creativity, digital storytelling, media and cultural practice.

This year, Yuuingan Dhilla Yari returns on Tuesday 9 June as a forum with the…