All In: highlighting First Nations voices and history from the Library's collection
With National Reconciliation Week (NRW) (27 May – 3 June 2026) and NAIDOC Week (5 – 12 July 2026) approaching, it's an opportune time to explore and reflect the First Nations voices and histories held in our collection.
- This year’s NRW theme is Bridging Now to Next, which reflects on the connection between past, present and future, using the past to guide us into a brighter tomorrow.
- This year’s NAIDOC theme is The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy. This not only honours the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC, but also the achievements that First Nations ancestors and current leaders have accomplished.
As highlighted in the Library’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Protocols, which were launched in 2021, the Library is a space for truth-telling regarding the history of ongoing colonisation, and an entry point for many non-Indigenous people to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history. We invite you to discover the wide variety of stories the Library holds.
For more details on our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders student spaces and support, please visit our First Nations Hub.
Cultural care notice
The Library’s collections contain representations and discussions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and stories through both an Indigenous and non-Indigenous lens. Audiences are advised that there are references to the names and images of people who have died.
Sydney University Press
Sydney University Press (SUP) is a not-for-profit, scholarly publisher of research-based books, run from within the Library. Since 2005, SUP has published over 300 new research titles, including a series on Indigenous Music Language and Performing Arts.
Copies of all SUP titles are available to borrow from the Library.
Recent publications include:
- Vitality and Change in Warlpiri Songs edited by Georgia Curran, Linda Barwick, Valerie Napaljarri Martin, Simon Japangardi Fisher and Nicolas Peterson
- Yuupurnju: A Warlpiri song cycle sung by Henry Cooke Anderson Jakamarra with Jerry Patrick Jangala, Steven Dixon Japanangka, Wanta Steven Patrick Pawu-Kurlpurlurnu Jampijinpa, Carmel O’Shannessy and Myfany Turpin
- The Old Songs are Always New by Genevieve Campbell with Tiwi Elders and knowledge holders
Featured Collection: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resources
Browse highlights from the Library’s collection that are either about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples or cover Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander topics. There are a variety of resources including novels, children’s books, books, sheet music and recordings. Please note that these collections are located across our various Library locations and Wingara Mura Resource Centre, and some can be accessed online.
Browse the featured collection
Wingara Mura Resource Centre
The Wingara Mura Resource Centre, located in the Gadigal Centre, holds a comprehensive collection of resources relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and affairs, including rare and out of print materials. These resources are searchable in the Library catalogue.
The Resource Centre also offers:
- access to local and Indigenous newspapers
- printing and photocopying
- a quiet study area
- an onsite librarian to help you find the items you need
AIATSIS thesauri
Over the last two years, the Library has implemented the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) thesauri into many of our collections.
This thesauri is a collection of subject headings for language groups and people, place names, and topical subjects relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, whether that be cultural practices, the environment or the impact of colonisation. It provides a way for the Library to appropriately reflect the cultural, historical, social and political knowledges within our catalogue. In turn, this increases discoverability of and access to First Nations content for library users (both at our University and across the world).
This process will also extend to the material in Rare Books and Special Collections to enrich the catalogue records.