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Digital volunteering

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

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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 will be contributing to the improvement and  enrichment of our collections, as well as taking an opportunity to delve deeper into the wonders of NSW cultural heritage.

A portrait of the young Joseph Banks in cloak

Sir Joseph Banks papers

Search the guide to view documents from the fully digitised Sir Joseph Banks papers. We are currently transcribing the papers to provide key word searching across the whole archive.

Arrernte Aboriginal wordlist

Help us to transcribe one of the most unique and important languages in the world. This wordlist was collected from communities in Alice Springs around 1912.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Photo of Amna Karra-Hassan

Islamic Faith in NSW

Help transcribe important interviews that tell the stories of people of Islamic faith from NSW.

Paining of Faith Bandler sitting in her loungeroom

Faith Bandler interviews

Listen to and help transcribe interviews with South Sea islander woman and indigenous rights activist Faith Bandler talking about her life, heritage and passions.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Gloved hands handling leather diaries and newspaper cuttings

World War I diaries

Read through our beautiful handwritten personal diaries and letters from the First World War and help us transcribe the collection.

Sydney Subdivision Maps

Match our collection of old subdivision plans to contemporary maps to help reveal the original locations of streets and houses across Sydney suburbs.

Design representing the Indigenous Nations of Australia by artist Lucy Simpson

Rediscovering Indigenous languages

Explore rare Indigenous language materials from our collection and help us transcribe the handwritten documents.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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