Media releases

The State Library of Queensland will farewell State Librarian Lea Giles-Peters.

Chair of the Library Board of Queensland Emeritus Professor Roly Sussex announced today that Lea Giles-Peters would not continue as State Librarian after the end of her current contract in October.

He said, “Lea has been at State Library for 10 years and we will be sorry to see her go. “She has led the transformation of State Library of Queensland into an organisation nationally and internationally recognised as a benchmark and pace-setter.

“Among her many contributions are the establishment of 21 Indigenous Knowledge Centres across the State in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Councils; the launch of The Edge, State Library’s digital culture centre; and the creation of the Asia-Pacific Design Library.

“She is also responsible for the successful completion of the Millennium Library Project, which has provided Queenslanders with the wonderful South Bank resource and a service transformation (which is ongoing) which reimagined and reinvented what a library could be. State Library has extended support and leadership to the many public libraries across the State.”

Ms Giles-Peters said she was ready for new challenges after 10 years as State Librarian. She said, “I have loved my time at State Library of Queensland and with the support of the Board, the staff, and our many wonderful supporters, we have been able to see our vision for the organisation substantially realised.

“My time at the State Library has been a highlight of my career but it is now time to seek other challenges.”

Professor Sussex said Lea would continue to take a great interest in the ongoing success of State Library.

“Lea is currently taking leave during which time Acting CEO Helen Brodie will manage the day-to-day operations.

“We are very grateful for Lea’s intention to support important State Library events and initiatives in the future.

“A selection panel is being established to begin the recruitment process for Lea’s successor.”

State Library of Queensland’s vision is: Enriching the lives of Queenslanders by creatively engaging people with information, knowledge, and community.

Media inquiries
Cathy Stacey, Communications, State Library of Queensland
M: 0434 074 372 P: 3842 9346 cathy.stacey@slq.qld.gov.au

Black Opium, a powerful public artwork by Queensland artist Fiona Foley, adorns the corridors of the State Library of Queensland. 

Beautifully integrated into the fabric of the South Bank building, the artwork reveals a complex story of opium addiction, Aboriginal people, and Government control in 19th century Australia.  In honour of the significant public artwork, the State Library has published Black Opium, a collection of essays, articles and historical photographs, exploring the history that inspired the installation, and unravelling some of the themes evoked within artwork.

In 1897 legislation was developed to restrain an emerging trend of paying for Aboriginal labour with opium. However, more than just restricting addiction, the legislation was devoted to regulating the lives of Aboriginal people. It prevented them from controlling their own finances, prescribed where and how they lived and worked, and facilitated the forced removal of Aboriginal people to missions and reserves where all aspects of their lives could be closely controlled. 

After discovering some of the truths behind the Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897, Foley said she was compelled to create Black Opium, a work that explores the history, personal stories and legacy associated with this controversial Act. 

Acting CEO of State Library Helen Brodie said Queensland’s heritage was a critical contributor to our identity and self understanding, linking the memories of our state’s past to our present lives and future development. “Black Opium sits poignantly on level 4 of the State Library building where, alongside heritage materials such manuscripts, maps, photographs, oral histories and digital stories, we have adopted it as an extension of the John Oxley Library collection which enables richer insight into the history and cultures of Queensland.” 

“While the physical installation remains restricted to visitors of the physical State Library building, through the publication we hope to share the knowledge, emotions and beauty captured by Fiona Foley, with the rest of Queensland,” said Ms Brodie. 

The State Library has donated copies of the Black Opium publication to Queensland public libraries and Indigenous Knowledge Centres, and copies of the book can be purchased from The Library Shop.

On Saturday 2 July, Arts Minister Rachel Nolan officially opened The Torres Strait Islands: A Celebration, a landmark project of exhibitions, performance and workshops incorporating the entire South Bank Cultural Centre in recognition of Torres Strait arts and culture.

"The event, running from 1 July - 23 October, is the most extensive celebration of Torres Strait Islander arts and culture ever mounted in Australia or anywhere else in the world," Ms Nolan said.

"It is a huge undertaking, the first major collaborative multi-arts project organised by Queensland's Art Gallery, State Library, Museum and Performing Arts Centre, and one being held nowhere more appropriate than Queensland."

Strait Home at the State Library of Queensland will showcase the culture and history of the Torres Strait Islands as never before.

Open until 23 October, significant original materials from the Torres Strait from the State Library’s own collections will be shown together across three exhibitions.

Strait Home forms part of The Torres Strait Islands: A Celebration, presented by Queensland’s major arts organisations at the Cultural Centre, South Bank, showcasing the diversity and vibrancy of historical and contemporary arts and culture of Torres Strait Islander Australians.

Judges had to sort through interactive 3D projections, photo mashups, iPhone apps, web games, and music remixes to choose the winners of the Libraryhack competition.

Awarded on Friday 24 June at the State Library of Queensland were prizes in four categories: data mashup/applications; photo mashup; digital media mashup; and ideas.

The winners were:

Data mashup/applications
Major prize – Michael Henderson, for his entry Talking Maps 
Queensland prize – Sam Cavenagh, for his entry Conviz
.National and State Libraries of Australasia (NSLA) Library staff prize – Neal Fitzgerald, for his entry Historic Real estate maps on Google Earth
Photo mashup
Major prize – Andrew Young, for his entry Reflection of Time
Queensland prize – Andrew Young, for his entry Emu Racing
NSLA staff prize – Molly Tebo, for her entry Welcome to the future
Digital media mashup
Major prize – Mark Balandzic and John Howland, for their entry Glorious Image Viewer
Queensland prize – River Petein, for his entry Soldier of the Willow meets the 16th Battalion 
NSLA staff prize – Deborah White, for her entry Carved trees: their birth, death and rebirth 
Ideas
Diana Iles, for her idea Discovery 

The State Library recognised some of Queensland’s business leaders with the opening of a dedicated hall of fame on Thursday 9 June.

Located within the State Library’s John Oxley Library, the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame honours business achievements with digital stories.

A joint initiative of the State Library of Queensland, the Queensland Library Foundation and QUT Business School, the Hall of Fame has inducted several business leaders and businesses from the past and present since its launch in 2009.

Arts Minister Rachel Nolan today awarded the State Library's prestigious 2011 John Oxley Library Fellowship to Thursday Island researcher Heidi Gibson as part of the State Library of Queensland Awards: Queensland Memory ceremony.

The Awards ceremony, hosted by ABC weather presenter Jenny Woodward, also included the presentation of two other awards: the John Oxley Library Award, which went to Dr Ross Johnston, and the John Oxley Library Community History Award, which was awarded to Berenice Wright OAM.

The John Oxley Library will be celebrating Queensland icons at an open day on Saturday 4 June as part of Queensland Week.

Visitors to the State Library of Queensland are invited to get up close and personal with the John Oxley Library, with experts available to share stories and original items from the collections.

Acting State Librarian Jane Cowell said Queensland Week is the perfect time to discover surprising things about our state’s history.

“The John Oxley Library has become a Queensland icon in itself,” Ms Cowell said.

“This event is a great opportunity for Queenslanders to stimulate their curiosity and find out things they never knew about the Sunshine State.”

The open day program includes curator’s tours of exhibitions, the sharing of stories from the collections and behind the scenes tours.

There will also be a great debate with a panel including author Matt Condon and historians Dr Kate Evans and Dr Raymond Evans.

They will be helping us take a light-hearted look at ourselves and will consider the question: is Queensland different?

Ms Cowell said that there are many interesting and entertaining stories from our history to be shared.

“There are stories of royal visits, memories of holidays on the glitzy Gold Coast strip, tales of the crime and corruption of Queensland’s seedy underbelly, as well as our state’s distinctive architecture and fashion,” Ms Cowell said.

The John Oxley Library Open Day is on at the State Library of Queensland on Saturday 4 June, 10am – 3pm.

The Is Queensland Different? great debate will be at 12.30pm in slq Auditorium 1, level 2. Free, no bookings required.

More information is available at www.slq.qld.gov.au/whats-on.

The search for answers as to why Queensland loves a cuppa kicks off this week with State Library of Queensland’s Tea & Me project.

Launched by Governor of Queensland, Penelope Wensley AC, Tea & Me will capture Queensland’s special tea cups and stories.

The Governor is Patron of both Queensland Library Foundation, which funded the project, and Cancer Council Queensland, whose major fundraiser Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea also gets underway this week.

State Librarian Lea Giles-Peters invites individuals and communities from across Queensland to delve into their cabinets and memories for their favourite tea cups and stories to contribute to Tea & Me.

“Our tea cups are often infused with value beyond their function, reminding us of comfort, peace and shared moments,” Ms Giles-Peters said.

“Your special tea cup may have been passed down through generations; the sole possession of your relatives when they arrived in Australia; a cup you used to share tea with a long lost friend; a reconciliatory cuppa

with a family member, or one that sparks a special memory."

Tea & Me is funded by an anonymous donation through the Queensland Library Foundation.  The Foundation supports development and access to State Library’s collections for all Queenslanders.

Submissions close 31 August. For more information visit www.facebook.com/teaandme or call 07 3840 7879.

Young Indigenous leaders will yarn about what recognition means to them this week as part of Reconciliation Week events at State Library of Queensland.

The Let’s Talk Recognition youth forum will be hosted by popular Deadly Awards host Michael Tuahine, and feature Indigenous community, arts and school leaders from south east Queensland.

Acting State Librarian Jane Cowell said the forum focuses on this year’s national Reconciliation Week theme, Let’s Talk Recognition.