20 Years Strong

Queensland’s First Nations library network, the only one of its kind in Australia, is celebrated in 20 Years Strong, a new State Library of Queensland showcase from October 8, 2022.

The 20 Years Strong showcase highlights the vital role Indigenous Knowledge Centres (IKCs) play in their communities including language revival and local storytelling.

IKCs were first established by State Library in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island councils in 2002. The showcase celebrates 20 years of programs, projects, workshops and milestones. 

There are now 26 IKCs across Queensland, including some of the state’s most remote communities; from the islands of the Torres Strait and across the tip of Cape York to Palm Island (Bwgcolman) in the Pacific and Cherbourg in the south.

Indigenous Knowledge Centres help document local histories, share stories, songs and language, and offer a range of activities including First 5 Forever and school holiday programs, along with digital workshops, culture-based activities and Elders programs.

Wimbledon champion and State Library donor, Ash Barty, and the Barty family have taken a personal interest in these First Nations libraries, donating a desktop computer to every centre in Queensland through the PCs for IKCs program.

The roll-out of these computers has already enabled community members to take part in teleconferencing and apply for university admission and apprenticeship programs. They have also introduced the world of online shopping to some communities.

Image captions: 

1: Ruth Whap (Library Administrator) accessing the Aurora system at the newly opened Mabuaig IKC 2002
2: Upgrading the building for the Lockhard River IKC
3: Children performing at the official opening of the Wujal Wujal IKC 2002
4: Carol Toby researching her family history at the Wujal Wujal IKC 2019

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