Supporting innovation, new knowledge and entrepreneurship across Adelaide’s cultural precinct
Collab partners hold expansive digital collections and datasets – irreplaceable records that shape our knowledge of history and the natural and cultural world. You can access an aggregated listing of all datasets at the bottom of the page or filter via the tags to your right.
For more than 150 years the South Australian Museum has been collecting, researching and sharing the stories of Australia’s unique natural and cultural heritage, and is today one of the most highly visited museums in the country. It cares for collections of national and international significance including the Australian Polar Collections, the Australian Biological Tissue Collection, and the Australian Helminthological Collection. The South Australian Museum is responsible for the most comprehensive collection of Australian Aboriginal cultural material in the world, and also has a strong reputation for research collections in the fields of Mineralogy and Paleontology.
The Museum’s archive is a national collection that documents the Museum’s history, research interest and exhibitions since 1800s and contributes to an understanding of Australian Aboriginal & world’s cultures, earth and biological sciences.
Over 500,000 records from the South Australian Museum’s biological collections can be accessed via the Atlas of Living Australia. A number of other collections can be accessed via the State Government data portal, these include the Australian Helminthological (Parasitic worms) Collection, the mineralogical collection and the meteorite collection. The Museum’s Archives catalogue can be viewed on the Museum’s website.
Note: At this time the catalogues for the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Collection, World Cultures Collection and Palaeontological Collection are not available online.
The History Trust of South Australia is a history and museums organisation that operates three museums – the Migration Museum, the National Motor Museum and the South Australian Maritime Museum and the Centre of Democracy in collaboration with the State Library of South Australia. The History Trust is caretaker of the State History Collection and ensures current and future generations can enjoy their state’s rich and fascinating past in ways that are relevant today.
The History Trust supports South Australia’s state-wide history network of committed community museums, local history organisations and volunteer associations to make South Australia’s history and large distributed collections more accessible both locally and globally.
History Trust collections are available to search and browse via a number of digital collections and exhibitions sites.
History Trust datasets can be viewed and accessed via the State Government data portal.
The State Library of South Australia (SLSA) is the largest public reference library in the State. Its collection has a strong focus on information pertaining to South Australia as well as general reference material for research purposes. The Library actively collects, preserves and gives access to the State’s historical and contemporary documentary heritage, as well as providing public programs that enhance South Australia’s cultural life.
It also supports the South Australian public libraries network and cooperates with other State and interstate agencies to enhance economic, educational and social benefits for South Australia.
The State Library’s digital collections are available to browser via their digital collections site.
The State Library’s datasets can be viewed via the State Government data portal.
The Art Gallery of South Australia has one of the largest art museum collections in the country numbering approximately 41,000 works of art from Australia, Europe, North America and Asia. The collections feature paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, textiles, ceramics, glass, metalwork, jewellery and furniture. The diverse Australian collection is a comprehensive survey of Australian art from colonial to contemporary – with a strong commitment to Aboriginal art, while the European collection features Greek and Roman antiquities and works from the late fifteenth century up until present day. Also of particular note is the Asian collection, which is one of the most distinguished collections of its type in Australia.
The Art Gallery’s digital collections are available to browse via their digital collections site.
Set of navigation charts of part of the South Australian section of the River Murray from Swan Reach to the eastern boundary of the State, 153 to 405 ¾ miles from the Murray mouth. Produced and issued by the Engineer-in-Chief’s Department, South Australia, published by A. Vaughan, SA Government Photo-lithographer in 1910. Scale approximately 1:9,600.
Set of detailed fire insurance maps from the State Library of South Australia’s map collections. The map set covers part of the City of Adelaide, South Australia and was surveyed and drawn 1911-1914 by John Reid Ferguson for the Fire Underwriters’ Association of South Australia. Scale approximately 1:480. Includes parts of North Terrace, King William
Military survey maps from the Australia 1 inch to the mile series held in the State Library of South Australia’s map collections. This map series was originally prepared by the Australian Section Imperial General Staff and later by the Royal Australian Survey Corps. These topographic maps at scale 1:63,360 include roads, railways, towns, rivers, creeks
365 catalogue records including material that has been collected from Local, State and Federal elections related to South Australian candidates. Also includes State and Federal referendums; Local elections 1879 – 2010; State elections 1893 – 2014; Federal elections 1901 – 2010; Referendums 1911 – 1999; State referendums 1965, 1970, 1982. Includes details of candidates, electorates,
Between 1916 and 1919 the South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau undertook research into over eight thousand enquiries from family and friends of missing Australian Imperial Force personnel who fought in WW1. The data contains the names and service detail of the soldier enquired upon and eyewitness; name and address of enquirer, dates of death,
Selection of images (53) from the State Library of South Australia’s Bradman Collection. Sir Donald Bradman is regarded by many as the greatest batsman in the history of cricket and was one of Australia’s most revered sporting personalities. From the late 1960s he donated much of his personal collection of cricket memorabilia to the State
These photographs (approximately 920) were taken by Captain Samuel Sweet, sea captain and photographer of colonial South Australia. Sweet began working as a photographer in Adelaide in 1867. In 1875 he retired from the sea and established his own photographic studio in Adelaide. He took photographs around South Australia, developing them in a horse-drawn darkroom.
The photographs (approximately 660) were taken by Ernest Gall, a South Australian born photographer active from the 1880s to the 1920s. In 1899 he was described as a ‘distinctly modern professional photographer’. Gall is noted for his photographs of civic events, portraits and photographs showing Adelaide’s development into a growing modern city.
Heroes of the Great War Indexing Project – over 17,000 references to notices published in the South Australian newspaper The Chronicle between 1915 and 1919 under various headings including ‘Heroes of the Great War’, ‘Heroes of the Empire’, ‘Died on Active Service’ and ‘Biographical’. The notices were placed by relatives and friends of World War
Heroes of the Great War Indexing Project – over 17,000 references to notices published in the South Australian newspaper The Chronicle between 1915 and 1919. Some service personnel had more than one notice within the paper. The notices were published under various headings including ‘Heroes of the Great War’, ‘Heroes of the Empire’, ‘Died on
A selected and wide range of digitised archival and published materials from the State Library of South Australia’s SA Memory program. SA Memory is an online gateway to South Australian history, heritage and culture. This multimedia website focuses on the South Australian experience – what makes South Australia unique. SA Memory illustrates and interprets themes
A list of Dewey call numbers and count by number of items or by title and copies in the South Australian Public Library One Card Network (SAPLN) collection. This dataset is no longer updated because the method of compiling the statistics has changed and comparable figures are no longer available.
Selected sheet music (100 individual songs) related to or published in South Australia. The collection is particularly strong on the genre of patriotic songs from World War One and sentimental ballads. Includes full colour scan of the sheet music and additional contextual research.
This dataset includes 45 oral histories from the project S. A. Speaks’: An Oral History of Life in South Australia before 1930. The interviewees were broadly representative of the population of South Australia as it was in the first three decades of the twentieth century. ‘S. A. Speaks’ was a Jubilee 150 project conducted by
Photographs relating to Sir Ross Smith and Sir Keith Smith and the 1919 Epic Flight from England to Australia. For more information about the Smith brothers and their prize-winning flight see the State Library of South Australia’s [Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith, pioneer aviators](https://digital.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/pages/smith-brothers “Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith, pioneer aviators”) website.
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