There are two library services operating in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

that have adopted the appellation "Knowledge Centre" in relation to the delivery of library services for Indigenous clients. The

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

Library first developed the Indigenous Knowledge Centre model of service and later changed this to "Library and Knowledge Centre". The

State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contai ...

continues to use the title Indigenous Knowledge Centre.

State Library of Queensland

The

assists local government to establish Indigenous Knowledge Centres (IKCs). These serve as information hubs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities throughout Queensland. The State Library of Queensland's IKCs provide the services of a local

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

, act as a meeting place and provide a safe place to keep important artefacts, artworks and other information within the community. Many IKCs provide public Internet access to their communities.

Northern Territory Library

The

Northern Territory Library Library & Archives NT comprises the Northern Territory Library and the two Northern Territory Archives Centres in Darwin and Alice Springs. Located in Parliament House in Darwin City, it is the premier public research and archival organisati ...

runs a similar service to its communities under the title of Libraries and Knowledge Centres (formerly known as "Indigenous Knowledge Centres"). In 2007, this program was awarded the Bill and Melinda Gates Access to Learning Award for its innovative use of digital technology in the remote Australian Indigenous community context. The Northern Territory Library is contributing significant funds to the development of the next generation of Indigenous collection management software.

References

Libraries in Australia {{library-stub