Donate to our collections

Many of the library's books, ephemera, letters, diaries, photographs, menus, wine labels, toys and games were donated by members of the public. 

Why donate materials?

Donated material adds to the larger narrative of South Australia. If your donations are accepted they will be transferred to a relevant library collection. They will then be protected in a secure, climate-controlled environment, and described and catalogued for our website so that our holdings can be seen around the world.

What the library may collect

The library collects published material, such as books, journals, games and pamphlets and non-published or archival material, such as private diaries and original photographs. For a comprehensive description of what the library collects see the Collection Policy. 

South Australian publishers are required to submit their material to the library under Legal Deposit requirements. Please see the page on Legal Deposit for further information. 

The State Library does not accept books or any material for South Australian Public libraries. Contact your local public library to ask about donations.

Donate a book or published material

The State Library welcomes relevant donation offers for books and other published material if it meets our collecting criteria. Please check the State Library catalogue first to see if the items are already held.

Please submit the form below with details of your offer, so that the library can assess your material. We aim to respond within 7-10 working days. Complex matters or large donation offers need consideration and may take longer. 

Submit a book or published donation offer

Please note and quote your query number when enquiring about your offer. 

Have a question?

Published Collections
Phone: +61 8 7424 6300
Email: SLSA.PublishedCD@sa.gov.au

Donating archival material

Archival materials are unpublished papers of records that are considered worth preserving. The State Library welcomes offers of archival material, including personal papers, archival, pictorial, and other unpublished materials which document the stories of South Australian history and society. All offers will be assessed in line with the Library's Collections Policy. 

Before you make an offer, please remember:

• The State Library can only accept items that meet our Collections Policy. Find out more about What We Collect.
• Please check if we already have the item in our catalogue. There are some great help topics on how to search our catalogue effectively.
• Is anything still unclear? Try our Archival FAQs 

Once you've checked whether your item is already in our collection, simply submit an Archival Offer form to begin the process.  

Submit an archivAL material donation offer

Or download a printable copy of our Archival material offer form and email it to SLSA.ArchivalCollections@sa.gov.au

If you are considering offering collection material, please contact us prior to sending or delivering any material to the Library.

Unfortunately, desk staff are not authorised to accept or take custody of material over the desk.

If you have any questions about the types of records we collect, the transfer process or any other enquiry please do not hesitate to contact us.

Have a question?

Archival Collections
State Library of South Australia
North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000
Email: SLSA.ArchivalCollections@sa.gov.au