Key Resources

Collection

Indigenous Research Toolkit
This tool kit will help you get started with research on Indigenous Australians at the State Library of Western Australia.

Aboriginal Resources in the Battye Library and State Records Office
Together with the State Records Office, the Battye Library is the primary research collection of Western Australian documentary heritage, containing an impressive amount of information on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Western Australia.

The Apology WA Capture
The State Library of Western Australia’s The Apology WA Capture archive will seek to record the importance of this event to Western Australian communities and how it was celebrated throughout WA. You can view a preview of some of the items that make up the The Apology WA Capture.

Katitjin: a Guide to Indigenous Records in the Battye Library
Compiled by Heather Campbell and published by the Friends of Battye Library with funding from the Maude Sholl Bequest.

Katitjin is a Nyoongar word meaning to learn or to understand. The guide is presented in two parts; part one includes an overview of the Battye Library's collections and resources useful for research into Western Australia's Indigenous history. Part Two is a researchers' kit listing useful publications, a select bibliography under subject headings, websites, handy contacts, and search strategies. Both sections should be used in conjunction with one another as many published and unpublished works have not been included in part one.

Researchers should be aware that material is continually being added to the Battye Library's collections, therefore the select bibliography compiled for Katitjin may not include all current sources.

Public Libraries

Public Libraries : Good Places for Aboriginal People
Public libraries are good places for Aboriginal people because they have books, videos and cassettes, information on Aboriginal histories and cultures, newspapers and magazines and much, much more.

Public Libraries in Western Australia
There are 239 public libraries in Western Australia.  Use the Australian Libraries Gateway provided by the National Library to find a free public library near you.

Specialised Libraries

The Department of Indigenous Affairs of Western Australia Library and Archives Research Service
The most comprehensive collection of materials dealing with Aboriginal History and current issues in Western Australia, consisting of books, reports, manuscripts, journals, videos, annual reports and various departmental publications. Also has a Family History and Archives Research Service. Follow the link to `Library and Archives' from the home page.

AIATSIS - Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Australia's major collection of materials relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies. It holds books, journals and manuscripts, and core collections of video, audio, and photographic material.

Community Resources

Interest/Support Groups

Infolink Government and Community Information Database
Want to find an Aboriginal community organisation in Geraldton, Western Australia?  Child care that incorporates Noongar language and culture? Get in touch with Aboriginal performers and musicians? Infolink is a database of information about community groups and government, including many relating to Aboriginal interests.

Special Dates

Sorry Day
The first Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998, exactly a year after the tabling in Federal Parliament of the report of the National Inquiry into the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. Sorry Day is now commemorated annually. In Western Australia, contact the Western Australian Sorry Day Committee at 99 Hay Street, Subiaco, Western Australia 6008.  Tel: 08 9381 3144. E-mail: guthrier@cbs.curtin.edu.au

NAIDOC Week
Every year, in the first week of July, indigenous Australians throughout the country celebrate together the survival of Aboriginal peoples, the continuation of Aboriginal culture and the contribution that indiginous Australians make to the nation.

Other Information Resources

Net Links

Indigilinks
Indigenous sites on the web are growing fast. 

Reconciliation Australia
Reconciliation Australia is the body established to provide a continuing national focus for reconciliation following the end of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation in December 2000.

Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Archive
This site contains all the documents and history of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation for the ten-year period of their existence to December 2000.

Guidelines for Libraries

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protocols for Libraries, Archives and Information Services / compiled by Alex Byrne ...[et al]
The most important set of protocols to guide libraries in such areas as the content and perspective of collections pertaining to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, intellectual property issues, accessibility and use, description and classification of materials, the handling of both secret, sacred and offensive materials, governance and management, staffing, education and training and the role of information agencies in developing awareness of indigenous peoples.