Secondary Teachers

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Discover a world of stories, history and information at the State Library of Western Australia!

Our education experiences offer students from Years 8 -12 a chance to engage with our unique collections through exciting experiences facilitated by our Education Officers.

All programs support the Curriculum Framework and run for approximately 45mins to 1 hour. Excursions to the State Library are free of charge and must be booked at least two weeks in advance.  

Our full suite of programs can be viewed in our 2013 What's On brochure.

 Self-Guided Visits

School groups are welcome to visit the library for self-guided experiences. Please contact the Education Officer for information on current exhibitions and events.  Check out the What's On page for current exhibitions, workshops, talks and activities.

The Discovery Lounge

An electronic information centre and community space, providing visitors with access to over 50 computers, express terminals, and free wi-fi. There is also an extensive range of current state, national and international newspapers, photocopies, colour printers and information sheets.

Additional Information  

• Excursion Management Plan (PDF)
• Public Liability (PDF) and Emergency Evacuation Procedures (PDF)
• Bookings and Enquiries    
• Special Events
• Resources
• Web Resources 

Information for music specialist students and borrowing from the music library can be found on the Music Education page

Bookings & Enquiries

For further information please contact the Education Officer on (08) 9427 3202 or email ed@slwa.wa.gov.au

Programs must be booked two weeks in advance. 

Special Events & Exhibitions

Keep updated on all State Library events and activities by joining us on facebook. The State Library often hosts a number of special events for school groups throughout the year.

Resources

Unlock your students potential by exploring the extensive range of resources including subject guides to our collections, digitised items, and access to over 150 databases, all available at the State Library. 

Subject Guides

The State Library produces a number of guides to assist adults to navigate their way through the collections. Whilst these guides are not targeted at students, they may be useful as a teacher's resource.

Dead Reckoning is a comprehensive guide to family history research in WA. Tracing family history can be a unique and sometimes challenging research project for students. This guide provides an overview of how and where to start the process.

The Guide to WA History  resource contains information on common research topics such as 'Gold' and 'Explorers', hints and tips on accessing archival materials, and searching the State Library catalogue.    

Looking for Aboriginal authors and illustrators? Click here (PDF) and scroll through to the last pages for secondary texts and ideas. Most resources listed are available through your local Public Library, whilst some are available on-site, or exclusively at the State Library.

Web Resources

Three sensational websites from the National Library of Australia that are great for use on a SmartBoard / Interactive White Board. 

• National Libraries Australia Digitised Newspapers   
• National Libraries Australia map collection 
• Trove The 'Google of Library Land', a fantastic research tool for students and teachers.

Vrroom (Virtual Reading Room) is a fun and easy to use website from the National Archives of Australia. A great topic starter that draws on images, digitised archival material and snippets of related historical documents and ephemera.

Subscription Databases

Subscription databases allow students to access a wide range of credited resources not freely available on the web, simply by putting in their public library card number or visiting their local public library.

Digitised Newspapers are a great way to bring history to life. Students can keyword search, transcribe, and contribute to world history.

The Gale NewsVault  includes the British Newspapers 1600 -1900, which covers the 17th - 18th Century Burney Collection and 19th Century British Library Newspapers; and, the Illustrated London News Historical Archive (1842 - 2003) where students can explore more than a 150 years of the world's first fully illustrated weekly newspaper.

The Berg Fashion Library is an interesting database that examines the history of fashion including shoes, jewellery, hats, clothes and much more. An unusual resource that is easy to navigate, with good images and text and is sure to interest students and teachers alike.

The Oxford history of western music is a unique resource that offers an account of the evolution of Western classical music. The full text is now available for the first time in an interactive digital format.

The following databases are more suitable for upper secondary students:

Australia/ New Zealand Reference Centre

Good source of full text international and national magazines, newspaper and reference books. Includes biographies, image collection, maps and links to the video Encyclopedia of the 20th Century.

Business Source Elite

This business resource provides coverage in all areas of business including marketing, management, accounting, finance and economics as well as national and international company profiles and Datamonitor reports.

Please be aware that access to online databases from other than the library or home, that is schools and universities is not permitted under the licence agreements held between the Library and Vendors.