State Library of Queensland > Collections > Queensland history > Contemporary Queensland

CONTEMPORARY QUEENSLAND

Kate Miller-Heidke on stage at the Pig City Concert, Brisbane, July 2007, Image No. 7336-0001-0307

Catamarans at Hayman Island, Queensland, 1985, Image No. 504-53-27

Safe sex is an art, so don't call me a tart, Image No. zoo00060

Brisbane river and bridge and city, ca. 1993, Image No. 7116/3/36

Democratic Socialist Party banner protesting against the Gulf War, Brisbane, 1991, Image No. gwa00004

Ekka series sketch by William Robinson

Ekka series Sketch 7 (8149/7) by William Robinson

The John Oxley Library collection ensures that Queensland's documentary heritage is collected, preserved and made accessible for current and future generations.

We aim to collect a broad spectrum of resources which depict the diverse social and cultural life of contemporary Queenslanders. The State Library of Queensland actively collects the following contemporary resources:

Photographs (print and digital)
Film footage
Books and journals
Maps
Websites (through Pandora: Australia's Web Archive)
Records of companies and organisations
Posters and ephemera
Music
Private papers (diaries, correspondence)
Works of art

Our focus is on collections about women, Indigenous peoples, multicultural peoples, children and young people and businesses.

These collections will be the historical documents of our future, depicting the social, political, economical and cultural climate, as well as the events, people and places, of contemporary Queensland.

How do I access items in this collection?

Access at the State Library of Queensland

Find items in the collection via our One Search catalogue .
Browse Levels 2, 3 and 4 or request items from on-site ‘Closed Access’ storage with your e-services card. If you order Closed Access items via the One Search catalogue 24 hours ahead of your visit, items should be waiting for you when you arrive. You can order up to 3 days in advance.
Use our e-collections computers on level 2 to search the library’s catalogue; to search our databases for electronic journal, magazine and newspaper articles and to view images and manuscripts from our collection. These e-collections computers do not need to be booked and have no time limits on their use.
You can also access our electronic resources via the State Library’s free wireless service if you have a laptop. Check our Info Guide on how to access wireless for details.

Access off-site

If you are at home, you can access selected offsite databases to search for electronic journal, magazine and newspaper articles. You will be prompted to login with your e-services card or QPL account.
Some State Library items are available for loan to other libraries. Contact your local library for information about interlibrary loan and copy services.

Search our collections: