Virtual Veterans at State Library

Virtual Veterans is a venture designed to breathe life into State Library's treasure chest of archival World War I materials. It is your AI guide to a rich collection of resources.

State Library of Queensland boasts an impressive repository of World War I artifacts, notably featuring a multitude of personal letters, diaries, and other first-hand accounts from those who lived during that tumultuous era.

Virtual Veterans includes an AI-driven chatbot that, when interacted with, assumes the persona of a World War I soldier, named ‘Charlie’. Drawing from the rich and diverse first-hand accounts housed in the library, it leverages advanced AI techniques and algorithms to offer students, library patrons, and history enthusiasts an immersive conversational experience.

Beyond being a conversation with a veteran, Virtual Veterans also acts as a guide to rich collections of resources from State Library of Queensland, Trove (Queensland digitised newspapers) and the Australian War Memorial.

Whenever ‘Charlie’ shares a memory, recounts an event, or describes a sentiment, citations are provided, directing the user to the original letters and diaries from State Library’s collection, historic newspaper articles from between 1914 and 1918 and The Australian War Memorial’s Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 - a 12-volume series covering Australia's involvement in the First World War, edited by Charles Bean. This ensures a perfect blend of engagement and authenticity, allowing users to delve deeper into specific artifacts, understand the broader context, and appreciate the first-hand narratives from which ‘Charlie’ derives his knowledge.

With Virtual Veteran, you are able to:

Ask a question

Virtual Veterans answers your World War I questions. Not sure where to start? Use one of the topic suggestions in the chat to start the conversation.

Access relevant resources

The chatbot's answers also display the letters, diaries and other resources used to create the response from State Library collections, Trove newspapers and the First World War Official Histories from the Australian War Memorial.

Save it for later

Copy your chatbot transcript or use Export Cards to export a reference list for future exploring or reading.

In essence, Virtual Veterans aspires to bridge a century-long gap, allowing modern-day Queenslanders to converse, learn from, and build a personal connection with the legacy of World War I, through an enriching and interactive experience.