Digital volunteering

Engage with the Library's collections and help enrich our stories.

Digital volunteering

The State Library is dedicated to making our collections more accessible and you can help us achieve this goal. By participating in one of our digital projects you can contribute to the enrichment of our collections and at the same time delve deeper into the wonders of Australian cultural heritage and history.

Below is a list of available projects just waiting for you to dive in!

Van Dieman's Land convict records

Van Dieman's Land convicts

Try your hand at transcribing records of male and female convicts deported to Van Dieman's Land between 1820 - 1852. 
Warren Clark sitting in front of a microphone at time of interview.

Mungo man interviews

Help us correct transcripts of interviews related to the repatriation Mungo Man, a culturally significant and important story in Australian history.
Frances Forbes letter

Frances Forbes letters

Help transcribe correspondence related to the cases of Sudds and Thompson, two army privates who committed theft in 1826 in the hopes of being deported to Australia.
Colour slides of Australia : Antarctica / by David Moore, 1965-1988

Antarctic expedition interviews

Help transcribe the fascinating stories from decades of research and construction expeditions in Antarctica.
Photo of Amna Karra-Hassan

Islamic Faith in NSW

Help transcribe important interviews that tell the stories of people of Islamic faith from NSW.
Sydney Female Refuge Society records

Sydney Female Refuge Society

 

Explore a sample of meeting minutes and notes from the Sydney Female Refuge Society, first established in 1848.
Gathering of musicians in Nimbin

Rainbow Archive interviews

Listen to interviews with residents of Nimbin discussing the 1973 Aquarius Festival and help improve their transcripts.
Miles Franklin diaries photographed by Sophie Blackall

Miles Franklin's diaries

Participate in our new transcription tool pilot by helping us transcribe the diaries of one of Australia's greatest writers.
Design representing the Indigenous Nations of Australia by artist Lucy Simpson

Indigenous languages

Explore rare Indigenous language materials from our collection and help us transcribe the handwritten documents.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge under construction

Sydney Harbour Bridge Builders

Help us correct transcripts of incredible stories told by workers involved in the construction of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Graeme Murphy body of work poster

Australian Dance

Explore interviews by Martin Portus with prominent figures from the Australian dance industry, including dancers, choreographers and costume designers.
Man holding cardboard cutout of human body at protest.

Garry Wotherspoon collection

Help us correct fascinating stories from gay men and women interviewed in the 1980s by Garry Wotherspoon. Please note this collection contains explicit language and content. 
Make copies of newspapers on microfilm

Newspapers of New South Wales

Read our vast collection of digitised historical newspapers and make corrections to computer-generated text.
Off-duty firemen eating food together at table

Snowy Mountains bushfires

Listen to and transcribe the harrowing stories of residents, fire fighters and volunteers involved in the 2003 Snowy Mountain bushfires.

Further information

#madewithSLNSW

If you are interested in repurposing any of the datasets from these projects, be sure to let us know by tagging your work with #madewithSLNSW. You can also explore other datasets we have made available.

DX Lab

The Lab delivers creative, engaging and new ways to explore the Library’s collections, datasets and services through a diverse range of digital experiences.