State Library of South Australia

02/09/2026

📚 Writers Assemble! is a free three-day festival celebrating the craft of writing.

Across seven events, some of Australia’s best writers explore what makes stories work, bringing together genres from romance and sci-fi to horror and YA fantasy.

With sessions exploring Joy, Fear, Desire, Anger and Awe, plus a special session for emerging genre writers, there’s plenty for readers and writers to discover.

Join us and celebrate the best in reading and writing! ✍️📖

slsa.sa.gov.au/events/writers-assemble-2026

02/09/2026

01/09/2026

Need to research an assignment? Or just have a question you want to dig into?

You might already have a handy research tool in your back pocket.

is free to access with your membership, with Australian-focused articles, videos and resources covering everything from history and Indigenous studies to psychology, politics, technology, the arts and climate change.

And you can use it from home, no trip to the Library required!

We’ve taken a look at what you can find in Informit Explore and some of the topics worth exploring in our latest article. 👇

slsa.sa.gov.au/news/story/2026/08/a-free-research-tool-informit-explore

eResources

31/08/2026

Swap a gold coin for a book. Support literacy. Make a difference.

The is back! Each year, State Library staff, friends and supporters, including Raising Literacy Australia donate books to help raise funds for the The Indigenous Literacy Foundation

Join us at the State Library on Wednesday 2 September, 10am to 4pm. Browse the stall, find your next great read and make a gold coin donation slsa.sa.gov.au/events/state-library-of-south-australias-great-book-swap

Your donation helps provide new, culturally relevant books to remote Indigenous communities, where access to libraries and bookstores can be limited.

Can’t make it on the day? You can still support the cause by donating online: greatbookswap.org.au/o/state-library-of-south-australia

28/08/2026

If you are in Canberra please drop in at the National Archives of Australia for the 'Rear vision: the Holden collection' exhibition.

26/08/2026

"We finally did it Syd."
"Yes Cec, I thought this day would never come."
"Just goes to show. You've got to stick to it."
"Shoulder to the wheel."
"Never give in."
"Definitely worthy of a photograph."
"Indeed. Ready Bob?"
"Yes. Where is the needle?"
"I thought you had it!"

Three men standing with a camera on top of a haystack, c1918. Location unknown.
https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+280/1/15/933

25/08/2026

🐾 To celebrate our four-legged, canine friends

There’s nothing quite like the friendship between children and puppies and this charming photograph captures it beautifully.

Dressed in their finest, a young boy and girl enjoy a sunny day in the garden with two very thirsty puppies. While the boy pours milk or water into their dish, his sister looks on.

A little glimpse of childhood, companionship and very good pups 🐶❤️

slsa.sa.gov.au
collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+1480/14/21

Image: Glass plate negatives and lantern slides taken by Arthur Trengrove, 1890-1920. SLSA: PRG 1480/14/21

25/08/2026

⚖️ When a corset ends up in court… things get seriously tight. 👀

In 1904, a battle over corsets landed in the South Australian Supreme Court and it was anything but a quick fitting.

Two companies were selling WB corsets, but one was accused of passing off a cheaper 'Correct Form' corset as the more expensive 'Erect Form' version. Enter Chief Justice Sir Samuel Way, three King’s Counsel, a whole host of lawyers… and 52 days of court hearings.

The cost? A whopping £20,000 (that's $2.7mill today in AUD).

Even the Chief Justice was over it, describing it as the 'abominable corset case' and reportedly remarking:

'There must be more money in corsets than in law, literature, or the Gospel.'

So, what did the court decide? And how did a humble corset become evidence in a very expensive legal battle?

Read the fascinating (and wonderfully bonkers) story behind the corset that went to court. 👉 slsa.sa.gov.au/a-legal-constraint-case-of-corset

And the corset at the centre of this story? 👀 It’s on display for a short time in in the 👉slsa.sa.gov.au/events/beyond-shelves

24/08/2026

🎶📚 Celebrate Children’s Book Week 2026
This year’s theme ‘Symphony of Stories’ celebrates the joy, imagination and wonder that books bring to our lives.

So, curl up with a favourite book, discover a new story and let your imagination take centre stage. ✨📖

slsa.sa.gov.au