Media releases

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.

“When we are sincerely recognised for who we are and what we contribute, we feel proud, validated and connected,” Ms Cowell said.

“Join Indigenous young leaders on 2 June as they yarn about what recognition truly means to them and the way forward for reconciliation in Australia.”

The week of free events kicked off with a twilight launch in kuril dhagun, State Library’s Indigenous Knowledge Centre, on Friday 27 May.

State Library offers young wordsmiths a chance to win $2,000

Aspiring young writers from across Queensland have a chance to kick-start a literary career and win a $2,000 cash prize.

State Librarian Lea Giles-Peters is asking a new generation of young writers to embrace this exciting opportunity, and enter the prestigious State Library of Queensland Young Writers Award 2011.

“I encourage all 18 to 25 year-olds living in Queensland to dig deep into their creative minds, share the stories that are important to them, and hopefully launch an illustrious career in writing,” Ms Giles-Peters said.

Arts Minister Rachel Nolan has announced what's believed to be a world-first exhibition to be held in Brisbane featuring Torres Strait Islander arts and culture on a size and scale never before brought together.

Uniting all the arts organisations in the South Bank precinct for the first time, the landmark celebration will feature art collections, performances, lectures and activities for all ages from July 1 to October 23.

“Torres Strait Islands: A Celebration is the most extensive and inclusive 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 with our Cultural Centre organisations — Queensland Museum South Bank, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), State Library of Queensland, Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) — all joining forces,” she said.

Arts Minister Rachel Nolan has invited young Queenslanders to join celebrations for the reopening of digital culture centre The Edge at a free open day on Saturday, May 7.

The celebrations include bands, workshops and markets.

"The Edge is the State Library of Queensland's digital culture hub where there's wireless internet, computers, software, a recording studio, filmmaking equipment and meeting rooms available to all Queenslanders – usually free of charge," Ms Nolan said.