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Archival Collection: About the Archival Collection

This State Library of South Australia guide to archival collections includes information on archival formats, making donations, accessing archival material and online access to selected transcripts.

Archival Collection

Archival items are unpublished papers and records of individuals, businesses, and community organisations (such as churches, sporting clubs and special interest groups). The Library collects archival material of research value which is predominantly South Australian in content, or is by or about South Australians.

Official government records are not held in the State Library, but are held by State Records of South Australia.

Archival formats

Although predominantly paper-based, archival material includes any form of record keeping such as:

  • photographs
  • films
  • video recordings
  • sound recordings
  • oral histories
  • maps
  • architectural plans
  • posters
  • parchment
  • artworks
  • realia (artefacts such as dolls or medals)
  • computer disks
  • born digital formats

Finding items

To find archival items, search the Library Catalogue for the name of individuals, societies, companies, titles, projects, or related keywords. Most records contain a brief summary with details about each item listed in associated Series Lists.

Over 110,000 digitised images are viewable through the Library Catalogue.

Staff members at the Information Desk can provide further information or advice about using the Library Catalogue and archival materials.

Retrieving items

Archival material can be requested from storage from the Information Desk or by phone.

Some items can be requested via the catalogue, using your State Library membership (look for the red Request button).

Material (or facsimile copies, if the original is fragile or valuable) will be sent to the Somerville Reading Room for access.

Copying items

Copies of items may be made provided any copyright or donor conditions are met; please discuss with staff.

Some material has copying or publication restrictions and you may be asked to refer to the Donor/Copyright Permission Checklist for requirements.

Archival arrangement

Record types

Archival records are arranged in six categories:

  • business record groups (BRG)
  • private record groups (PRG)
  • society record groups (SRG)
  • single items such as diaries or letters (D)
  • maps (C)
  • photographs (B)

Examples

  • Business record groups: Holden BRG 213; the South Australian Company BRG 42.
  • Society record groups: the Campaign for Peace in Vietnam (SA) SRG 124; the South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau SRG 76; Holy Trinity Anglican Church SRG 94/A2; Blackwood Football Club SRG 567.
  • Private record groups: Colonel William Light PRG 1; Catherine Helen Spence PRG 88; Lillian Daphne De Lissa, founder of the S.A. Kindergarten Union PRG 253.

Donate to the State Library of SA

There are many ways you can donate to the State Library:

Read more about how you can support us.