State Library precinct public holiday closure Monday 5 October
Help shape the future of your State Library
The State Library is keen to collect archival and unpublished material which represents South Australia's people, places and events, and provide evidence of cultural, political, economic and social life over time.
We are interested not only in the records of public figures, but also in those that document the everyday lives of ordinary individuals, families, and communities. These personal stories provide valuable insight into the values, experiences, and aspirations of society at a particular point in history.
Our approach to archival collecting is guided by a commitment to representing South Australia's diverse and complex stories. We aim to build collections that reflect the breadth of experiences, perspectives, and histories that shape our state.
For 2025 to 2027, we have identified four priority collecting areas to guide our decisions. These priorities help us work in partnership with communities across South Australia to develop a collection that is relevant, representative, and accessible for current and future generations.
Examples of material include:
Examples of material include:
Examples of material include:
Examples of material include:
The Library’s collecting priorities guide our focus and resources. However, material that does not fit within a priority area may still be considered for acquisition.
The types of materials below are valuable documentary formats, but these lists are incomplete and not definitive, so please contact us to discuss your offer.
Personal and family papers which include (but are not limited to):
Papers of Clubs, non-government schools and not-for-profit organisations which include (but are not limited to):
Papers of South Australian businesses, both current and past, which include (but are not limited to):
For more information on the types of records we collect go to our Collections Policy.
The State Library has a Children's Literature Research Collection (CLRC) was established in 1959 as a research and reference library for the study of children's literature of the world, with particular emphasis on Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. To support this research function there is a collection of reference books and periodicals relating to the study of children's literature and child play. A number of games and toys enhance the collection.
The Collection, which has over 65,000 items has been enhanced over the years by donations from the community. Donations of books, toys, games, children's magazines and comics, and other childhood ephemera will be considered if they strongly reflect the interests of South Australian children from the days of early settlement to the present day
Ephemera describes printed items which were originally expected to have only short-term usefulness or popularity. It includes posters, postcards, menus, invitations, flyers, political stickers, election material covering Federal, State, Local council and Referendums, theatre and festival programs and calendars.
Why keep ephemera? Because most people don't. It is "here today, gone tomorrow" material.
The State Library has a large ephemera collection which provides a visual and written record of South Australian society from 1836 to the present day. It provides an important record of social life, popular culture, beliefs and design styles. Sometimes the only information available about an organisation, an artist, a performance can be found in the Library's ephemera collection. Today's ephemera will be resource material for researchers of the future.
The Library does not collect objects such as flags, clothing; tickets; badges unless produced for elections, referendums or for a particular protest group or non-South Australian ephemera material.
No photocopies, originals only and these items must be in reasonable condition.
Oral history is the recording of memories of peoples' unique life experiences. It is an audio record of information gathered as the result of a planned interview and is a means of documenting the past by asking questions of people who have lived through a period or an event of interest. Through oral history, the past comes alive as people share their lives.
The JD Somerville Oral History Collection was established in 1987 as the central repository for unpublished oral history recordings and transcripts in South Australia. The collection is intended to provide an oral record of all aspects of the South Australian experience and particularly of those who are poorly represented in documentary records, such as low-income earners, people of non-English speaking background, women, and country people. The collection also provides a representative sample of the various uses of oral histories, such as academic, commissioned, local history, community arts, school and family history.
The State Library provides advice on designing and managing approved oral history projects and ongoing support once projects are underway. Oral History Australia SA/NT run one day introductory oral history workshops with support from the State Library. These workshops explain the stages involved in organising an interviewing program, conducting and recording interviews and developing documentation for the interviews such as summaries, conditions of use forms and transcripts.
Please contact us to discuss your oral history idea or project.
Offers will be assessed in relation to our Collections Policy and priorities, the physical condition of the items and our existing collection holdings.
If the State Library is unable to accept an item, we will try and suggest alternative placements.