Image information
- 1. Portrait of Tottie Quicksilver and son at Beaudesert, Beaudesert, Undated
- 2. Kuril dhagun facade, Brisbane (State Library of Queensland) 2010
- 3. Torres Strait Islander infantry men enjoying a day out on an Outrigger boat, 1945
- 4. Tractor travelling along a road on Yorke Island, Torres Strait, Queensland, 1984
Community language programs are helping to bring languages alive for people who have not heard them spoken in their communities for many years. The programs involve recording speakers, making resources, and teaching in a variety of different settings.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages at State Library of Queensland
In 2006–07, the State Library of Queensland was supported by the Australian Government (through the Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records Program of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) to undertake state-wide consultation about the best way for the library to support Indigenous languages in Queensland. Meetings were held with languages centres and workers, resulting in the State Library of Queensland's Indigenous Languages Strategy which was endorsed by the Queensland Indigenous Languages Advisory Committee [new window].
The State Library now conducts training workshops for community language workers, covering digital recording and preservation, use of ICT for creating language teaching materials and how to digitise analogue recordings. The workshops also encourage the use of the library as a safe repository for copies of important language recordings and documents, to ensure that this knowledge remains available for future generations.
The State Library is committed to actively increasing the awareness of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in the wider community, through public spaces such as the kuril dhagun Indigenous Knowledge Centre and through the network of public libraries.
More information
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Last updated: 20th April 2012
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