Indigenous Knowledge Centre Coordinators' Workshop

On 29 August to the 3rd September the State Library of Queensland hosted a series of workshop sessions for Indigenous Knowledge Centre Coordinators. Topics covered included engaging with and looking after your local history, writing collection strategies, taking care of donations and purchases and protocols for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collections.

The IKC coordinators also toured the Library looking at collections and operations across the institution and taking in exhibitions currently on display including Fiona Foley's Black Opium and Myths and Legends: Watercolours form the Margaret Lawrie Works on Paper Collection on level 4, and Land, Sea and Sky: Contemporary Art of the Torres Strait Islands at the Gallery of Modern Art.

On their last day participants headed over to North Stradbroke Island for a tour of the North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum with Elizabeth Gondwe, curator/researcher and Petrina Walker, Oodgeroo Collection Custodian.

The State Library currently supports over twenty Indigenous Knowledge Centres (IKCs) which operate in partnership with Local Governments around the state. The IKCs are located primarily in the Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait regions, as well as the kuril dhagun Indigenous Knowledge Centre here at the State Library, Southbank.

Councils are responsible for the physical infrastructure, staffing and day to day operations of their IKC, while State Library of Queensland provides set-up materials (books, magazines, audiovisual materials and computers), staff training and fun literacy and recreational programs.

The IKC coordinators' workshops were a great experience for all involved. Thanks to all of our visitors for their attendance and to State Library staff including Tania Schafer (Indigenous Resource Officer - Queensland Memory), Louise Denoon (Exec Manager, Queensland Memory), Terena Hopkins (Director, Cairns Unit), Aaron Mathhews, Rose Warsow, Natasha Hirakawa and Renee Colless (IKC Support and Development Officers) who dedicated many hours to organising and presenting the workshops sessions.

Simon Farley

Manager, Client Services - Queensland Memory - State Library of Queenlsand.