Multicultural services for NSW residents
Books
You can borrow books and audio books from the State Library through your public library.
The Multicultural Service collects books in over 40 community languages including English as a Second Language. The collection includes:
- adult fiction;
- adult popular non-fiction such as history, poetry and drama, cookery, medical information;
- resources for children such as picture books, nursery rhymes, bilingual books and sound recordings.
Large print and audio books in some languages are also collected.
For further information contact your local library.
Find your public library:
- View a map of Sydney metropolitan public libraries with links to library websites
- View a map of country NSW public libraries
- Public Libraries In NSW Directory (PDF 3MB)
Online Resources
MyLanguage
MyLanguage website provides access to resources for culturally and linguistically diverse individuals and community groups. The website features:
- public access to search engines, web directories and news in over sixty languages
- training materials for individual and community groups including translated fact sheets and training manuals for introductory courses on using the internet, email or searching the web
- assistance to libraries including access to guidelines, standards, reports, research and conference papers on many aspects of multicultural library services.
MyLanguage is a partnership between the State Libraries of NSW, QLD, SA, VIC, and WA and the NT and ACT Library and Information Services.
Oxford Language Dictionaries Online
Oxford Language Dictionaries Online includes:
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online dictionaries for French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian and Chinese.
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a quick translation tool for 13 languages, a virtual keyboard for entering characters in other scripts and resources for learning and teaching languages.
It is available to registered NSW residents and allows for unlimited users.
Go to the Oxford Language Dictionaries Online
Community Language Collection Directory
Use the CLC Directory to locate language collections held in NSW public libraries.
International newspapers in community languages
Library PressDisplay
Library PressDisplay is a service which allows anyone who lives in NSW to read newspapers in their own language at home. Over 1,400 international newspapers and magazines from more than 80 countries in 39 languages are available.
Before you can access these newspapers you will need to register for a library card.
Register now online for a Library card
Newspapers
The State Library collects newspapers in languages other than English published in NSW, many of the newspapers are available on microfilm at the State Reference Library in the Macquarie street building.
