Under the library lights March

We met a frequent visitor of Open lab at The Edge Michelle, a bookbinder from West End, Brisbane.

What projects are you working on today?

I'm here every single week at the same time, with my two hours on the laser cutter, developing products and packaging for my bookbinding business. I teach bookbinding, and I make the acrylic templates here to help students cut the materials out, along with all the packaging for them. I also create artist books that use the laser in interesting and creative ways. 

Could you please tell us your background as an artist? 

I started as a graphic designer, developing branding, packaging, and signage. Bookbinding began as a side hobby, but now I've segued into doing bookbinding full-time. Now I mainly run workshops and create artist books. Along the way, I had 2 children and built the business around being a mum. Now they're older, I’m able to focus more on the binding business!

What is one of the most significant achievements in your career? 

I think I've developed a wide range of bookbinding techniques, created all the products, and designed all the classes and instructions around different ways to make a book. Throughout the year, I teach a different technique each month. For example, Japanese stab bindings, traveller’s notebooks, wrap around journals, and Coptic binding. It's all really fun!

What does State Library mean to you? 

State Library is amazing! I'm so thrilled that it's here and I get to come and use the laser cutter. Over the past nearly 3 years, I have developed all these prototypes that I would never have been able to make otherwise. It's taken my business to a whole new level. Now I want to sell that for the products I make to people around the world, and State Library enabled me to do that. It's an amazing resource!

Can you please describe State Library in three words? 

Innovative, inclusive, creative. People do some really creative things here, and I love being part of it. 

Quietly working away on Level 3, we meet William, a year 12 student deep in revision for an upcoming physics test.  

What are you working on today?

I’m studying physics and have a test next week. I like to come to the library as it's such a nice space to work. It really makes you feel more productive because it's a new, different environment. Being here definitely makes me more motivated to do more work. I like level 3 the most as it is overlooking the water with the large windows. 

What are some of the most interesting things you've seen at State Library? 

I think the most interesting thing is the amount of people who come here during big exam periods. It gets quite busy, and it just shows that how many people are willing to change their environment just to better their studying habits. I think there's a lot of people that come here before their tests and exams as being in an environment where a lot of people are doing similar things to you, pushes you to almost want to do better.

Is there a memorable experience that you've had here at State Library? 

I pretty much come here to study so there’s not a particular standout experience, but every time I come here, I get a lot of work done, and that stays with me. I just feel so much more productive, and just being in the city in general too, feels a lot better than being at home. I think there’s a lot more to be interested in when you are studying here.  

if you could take one item home from State Library, what would it be?

Oh, one item, that’s a good one! Hmmm. I think I would take the view over the river with me. I don’t think there’s many things I could actually take physically. I’m not coming here and reading books much, just really the view and the feeling of being in the city. I would take that home with me if I could. 

If you are a frequent visitor at State Library of Queensland, you may recognise some familiar faces in casual attire, immersed in their own worlds. They might be the ones who helped you locate library resources, introduced you to the laser cutter, or assisted you in finding a book you had been searching for. Yes, State Library attracts staff members back, even in their free time.

Today, we met one of our colleagues, Ellie, working on her own creative project at the library outside of work hours.

Are you working on any specific projects today? 

I’m working on a personal project which is for a market event on the 5 April. I’m getting my artwork ready for printing, so that I can present it at the market. 

As a librarian, are there any spaces in State Library you feel most connected to?

I feel most connected to the Heritage Collection up on Level Four, as well as places like the Digital Media Lab, The Edge, and Infozone, because they really have that community hub aspects. As a librarian here, I really value the idea of having a liminal space, a third space, where people are allowed to go and spend time. 

What are the resources you have used in State Library? 

I was a program officer in the Applied Creativity team at State Library, so I've used many of the resources like the printers, laser cutters, sewing machines, as well as the digital contents like Procreate, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Because I have run a number of workshops and inductions, I’m now also skilled in using the recording studio. As a librarian, I use the heritage collection resources a lot to conduct research inquiries for clients and visitors. 

Out of all the things you created at the State Library, what’s the one of your favourite items? 

One of my absolute favourite items is a cute little clown design. I think it was in 2024. I found an image in our collection of a person in a clown outfit standing outside of Ekka. It was an old black-and-white photo which is out of copyright. I vectorized it in Inkscape, and we turned it into earrings, woodcuts, keychains. I still have the designs!

If you could take one item home from State Library, what would you take? 

It might take some time to find my favourite. We have old diaries and artist books that are very pretty, and there are some old drawing gloves, beautiful gold framed paintings from the 18th century. It's amazing to have collection pieces like these. I would definitely want to take all them.

We met Serena at The Edge. She is a retired economist living in St Lucia.

What brought you to the library today? Are you working on any projects? 

I made a 3D print of a replacement lid for my slow cooker today. That's something that I learned to do here using the 3D printer. I was also hoping to speak to someone about sound and lighting because I'm doing a podcast and having some difficulty with the setup. I'm particularly interested in soundbars, 360 spatial sound, and technical things like tungsten lighting settings and making sure that the lighting and the camera were compatible.

Is there a particular space in State Library that you mostly connected to?

I’d say it's Open Lab. One of the most important things is that you can see other people working on all sorts of projects. You can observe what they're doing and start conversations about their work. 

What were the most interesting things you have seen at State Library?

I think that’s the laser cutting and 3D printing. The 3D printing took me a little bit longer to get my head around. You rotate things in 3 dimensions while working on the design. Then sometimes you flip the object to the printer, and you have fewer supporting structures. 

Can you share a memorable experience here? 

There are quite a few that stick in my mind. When we were downstairs, the guys were working with papier-mâché and making larger objects which they put into a display on the first floor. It was sort of like these strange, giant mushrooms and monsters (The Great & Grand Rumpus exhibition) at SLQ Gallery. They had it coloured as well. We did a tour of it. Usually, you only see them making small things, so it's brilliant to see what size you can create out of it. 

If you could take one item home from State Library, what would it be and why? 

I think it'd be something small. Hmm, they don’t exist here anymore, but The Edge used to display 3D lizards and crocodiles on the side cupboard as you enter the Open lab. They had all sorts of joints in them that necked them. Very tactile. The lizards had a white one and a yellow one. I liked the white one. Every time I walked past, I adjusted it and played with it. They’re all 3D-made, but they can move. Diamonds are good to look at, but lizards and crocodiles are good for moving!