Great Book Swap: Coming to a campus near you!

We acknowledge the people of the Wiradjuri, Ngunnawal, Biripai (Biripi/Bripi/Birrbay) and Gundungurra Nations, who are the traditional custodians and knowledge keepers of the lands where Charles Sturt University campuses are located. We offer respect to their Elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all First Nations people.

Great Book Swaps are held all over Australian throughout the year, and it’s an event that we, here at the Library, love to get involved in! And it’s happening next week across all our major campuses!

Charles Sturt Library will be holding our Swap with book and cake stalls to celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day and raise money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF).

The ILF does incredible work supporting Indigenous kids’ literacy in remote Communities across Australia. Some of their programs include:

  • Community Publishing: Publishing books created by Community, many in First Languages. To date, they have published 126 books reflecting 36 Indigenous languages!
  • Book Supply: Providing new, culturally relevant books to remote Communities; with over half of these books featuring Indigenous authors and illustrators (to date, over 850,000 books)!!
  • Book Buzz: Developing a love of reading in children under five through story time sessions in remote communities.

Want to come and swap your donation for a book (and maybe a yummy treat)?
Find us on Tuesday 3 September in the following locations:

  • Albury: The Gums Cafe – 10am-12pm
  • Dubbo: Courtyard near rooms 120/121 – 11am-1pm

And on Wednesday 4 September at the following locations:

  • Bathurst: Pulse Cafe – 9:30am-11:30am
  • Orange: Banjo’s Cafe – 9:30am-11:30am
  • Port Macquarie: 802 coffee cart area – 10am-11:30am
  • Wagga Wagga: Crave Cafe in the Learning Commons – 9:30am-11:30am

This year the ILF aims to raise $180,000 to gift 18,000 books to children in remote Communities. Charles Sturt Library hope to contribute $1,500 towards that goal. If you are in a position to do so, please consider donating. You can donate with a gold coin on the day, or via our fundraising page at any time, whether you’re on-campus or online.


Thank you to all the staff and students who have so generously made each of our past Book Swaps great – let’s do it again this year!

Find out more about the Indigenous Literacy Foundation here.