Get in touch with Indigenous Engagement

Send us an email: 

• Family history: koori.kin@sl.nsw.gov.au 
• General enquiries: info.koori@sl.nsw.gov.au

If you would like to meet with a member of the Indigenous Engagement team in person at the Library, or to set up an online meeting, please email us at least a week before your visit to make an appointment so we can make sure somebody will be available to talk to you. 

You can also ask us about tours for community of the Library or particular exhibitions, or organising workshops about using the Library's collections.

Yes, you can get started by reading our NSW First Nations Family History Research Guide. If you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and need more help, please get in touch.

If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, we can help with:  

• Up to 1 hour of research on each enquiry. We may spend more time on enquiries which require researching materials unique to our Library. 
• A maximum of 6 enquiries per client per calendar year

See the NSW First Nations Family History Research Guide for more information.

No, we do NOT provide ‘Confirmation/Proof of Aboriginality’ letters or certificates. However, you can find more some helpful advice and information on how to obtain the documentation on the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies website.

If the percentage in the DNA test result is small and you have no information about your possible Indigenous ancestry, you should go back as far as possible in your family tree to identify who your Indigenous ancestor could be. Contact the Library's Family History team for help with this. If our specialist expertise is required, your enquiry will be directed to us.

If the percentage result is high and you need help with more information, please get in touch and we will try to help.

If you are a First Nations person or organisation, we can provide assistance using the Library's collections. If we don't have material relating to your enquiry available in our collection, we may be able to advise you on which institution outside NSW you can contact to obtain more information. 

Other queries should go to the Library’s Ask A Librarian reference service. Your query may still be relayed to us if our specialist expertise is required. 

For more information on the support we can provide, please view the Ask a Librarian Service Guidelines.

Please email us at info.koori@sl.nsw.gov.au with all the details about the community you represent and your proposed dates.

Several months notice may be required as this is in high demand!

Yes! Please email us at info.koori@sl.nsw.gov.au  with all the details about the community you represent and your proposed dates.

Several months notice may be required as this is in high demand!

The Online Toolkit for Indigenous Spaces in Library Places is a free resource developed for the use of public libraries, to help build a vibrant public library network inclusive of Indigenous peoples and communities.

The Library's Public Libraries Services team provides specialist advice and support to all local councils providing public library services to the people in NSW.  

You can also email us if you have a specific query at info.koori@slnsw.gov.au. 

You should always consult the local community and their Elders about the use of their language and whether it's appropriate. If you do not know who this is, you can find the relevant Local Aboriginal Land Councils via the NSW Aboriginal Land Council website. 

You should always consult with the local community and their Elders about the use of their cultural information, and whether it's appropriate. If you do not know who this is, you can find the relevant Local Aboriginal Land Councils via the NSW Aboriginal Land Council website. 

You will need to talk to the Collections Acquisitions team.  A specialist First Nations librarian assess your offer.

We'd be very happy to talk to you about what it's like working in libraries - please email us at info.koori@sl.nsw.gov.au and we can organise a time to meet or chat.

We do! The Ginibi Room in the Mitchell Library building has been set up especially for this reason. If you know you'll be coming in to look at documents that could be upsetting, or that need privacy to view for cultural reasons, please email us so we can make a booking for you and one of our team to be available to provide access to the collection materials.

Our dedicated First Nations Gallery space upstairs in the Mitchell Galleries will always have an exhibition curated by and for Aboriginal people that relates to the Library's collections. There will also be content in other exhibitions. To find out what's on now, or in the near future, please check the Library's What's On guide.

The Library's Learning team has developed a suite of resources around the NSW Curriculum that are freely available to use and download, including a number of Learning Activities that specifically address the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the Library's collection materials.