Skip to main content
  • Plan your visit
  • Join
  • Give
  • Our partners
  • Log In
  • Shop
Home
State Library of NSW
  • What’s On
  • Research and Collections
  • Stories
  • Learning
  • Plan your visit
  • Join
  • Give
  • Our partners
  • Log In
  • Shop
  • Search catalogue
  • Search website
  • View old catalogue

View old catalogue

  • DX Lab
  • Open data: create with the Library's collections
  • Scholar Talks
  • Calling with our collections
  • Cooking the books
  • Digital volunteering (Active)
  • Embellished
  • Sydney Rare Book Week 
  • Your Library at Home
  • Plan your visit
  • Join
  • Give
  • Our partners
  • Log In
  • Shop

What's On

  • Talks
  • Exhibitions
  • Tours
  • Workshops
  • Recorded events
  • Past exhibitions
  • Exhibition audio guides
  • Podcasts
  • More What's On

Research & Collections

  • Catalogues and search
  • Eresources
  • Using the Library
  • Research guides
  • Multilingual information and services
  • About our collections
  • Significant collections
  • Building our collections
  • Research and engagement
  • More Research & Collections

Stories

  • Aboriginal Australians
  • Art and design
  • Behind the scenes
  • Biography
  • Exhibitions
  • Exploration
  • History
  • Books and literature
  • Natural world
  • Photography
  • World War I
  • More Stories

Learning

  • Primary schools
  • Secondary schools
  • HSC 2023
  • Kids & families
  • Lifelong learners
  • Tertiary students
  • More Learning
  • ABOUT THE LIBRARY
  • INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT
  • FELLOWSHIPS
  • Give to the Library
  • Opening hours
  • Get a library card
  • Ask a Librarian
  • Book a study room

FEATURED

  • News
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Social media posts
Mitchell Library building exterior shot at night with pink lighting

Explore the Library after dark

Collage of images from the 2023 Pride (R)evolution exhibition

See what's coming for Sydney WorldPride 2023

Drawing of a girl reading a book

Join our children's literature conference

Visit the Library's specialist sites

  • Public Library Services
  • Multicultural Services
  • Library Shop
  • DX Lab
  • Manuscript transcription tool
  • Amplify: audio transcriptions
  • Joseph Banks Papers
  • Painting by Numbers
  • Dictionary of Sydney
  • Gather
  • Find Legal Answers
  • Drug Info

Digital volunteering

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

You are here:

  1. Home
  2. Research and Collections
  3. Research and Engagement
  4. Digital volunteering

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!

Mary Cover Hassall Aged 23 years. February 2nd 1852 - [watercolour on ivory miniature]

Hassall family papers

This collection contains correspondence, diaries, ledgers, and letter books produced by several generations of the Hassall family.

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.

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

Help us transcribe the diaries of one of Australia's greatest writers.

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

Contact us

If you have an enquiry about any of these projects please send us an email at digital.volunteering@sl.nsw.gov.au.

#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.

Become a volunteer at the State Library

Volunteers play an important role at the Library and are appreciated for giving so generously of their time.

Join

Enjoy the best of what the Library has to offer by joining our online community and signing up for a Library card, or becoming a Friend.

  • Share
  • Printer-friendly version
  • PDF version
  • EPUB version

Join the conversation

Newspaper iconNewsQuotes iconBlogsHeadphones iconPodcasts

View our most recent social media posts
View a list of all our accounts

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Flickr
  • Pinterest
  • History Pin
Back to top State Library of NSW logo

Contact Us

1 Shakespeare Place
Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
+61 2 9273 1414

Plan your Visit

Today's Opening Hours

Exhibition Galleries
  1. 9 am to 8 pm
Reading Rooms
  1. 9 am to 8 pm
The Library Shop
  1. 9 am to 5 pm
Shakespeare Room
  1. closed
Library Cafe
  1. 8 am to 4 pm
Friends Room
  1. 9 am to 5 pm
The Library Bar
  1. 4 pm to 10 pm

Subscribe to newsletters

Recent News

$57,000 on offer for Australian comic and biography writers
Thursday
01/12/2022
The Library Bar … bigger and better!
Wednesday
30/11/2022

More Library News Blogs RSS

We provide advice and support to all public libraries and local councils in NSW.

Public Library Services

Free for reuse - unless otherwise stated, this content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

You are free to copy, distribute, remix and build upon this content as long as you credit the author and the State Library of NSW as the source. For suggested attribution, see our copyright page.

To view a copy of this license visit:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Creative Commons Licence

© 2023 by State Library of NSW.

About the library

  • Access and inclusion
  • Ask a Librarian
  • Awards
  • Executive
  • Fellowships
  • Foundation
  • Jobs at the State Library
  • Library Council
  • Media Centre
  • Policies
  • Publications
  • Services
  • Venue hire

Accessing Sydney Collectively logo is an upper case letter A with a stylised human figure in the centre. A round head, arms outstretched, and body is wearing what looks like a dress. The figure is reaching out expansively with the word access next to the logo.

NSW Government logo

  • Disclaimer
  • Copyright
  • Privacy
  • Right to information
  • Website Accessibility
  • Contact Us
  • Feedback
  • Site map