The State Library of South Australia is opening Little Library – a brand new, free and dedicated space for children aged 0–11 – in August 2026, and it sounds like somewhere you’ll want to spend a rainy morning (or three).
Backed by a $2 million investment from the State Government Arts Investment Fund, Little Library has been designed from the ground up with children in mind. Not a corner of an existing library cordoned off with a rug and some beanbags – a proper, purpose-built space where kids can explore, play, borrow books and, ideally, develop a reading habit that lasts a lifetime.
What is Little Library?
Little Library is a free, inclusive children’s library located on the ground floor Spence Wing of the State Library on North Terrace. It’s designed for children from birth to age 11 and has been built around the science behind Raising Literacy Australia’s Words Grow Minds campaign – which focuses on the critical role early reading plays in a child’s development.
The space has been brought to life by global experience design agency Art Processors, with original artworks by three Adelaide-based creatives: Carlo Jensen, Andrew Joyner and Lawson Dodd. It’s the kind of environment where the design itself is part of the experience.
Little Library will offer an evolving program of events and activities, as well as the full functional benefits of a public library – including book and resource borrowing for families to take home.
Why it matters for Adelaide families
South Australia has a genuine claim to library history: the State Library is the original home of Australia’s first public children’s library. Little Library builds on that legacy with something designed for the way families engage with reading today.
The space has been developed in collaboration with the City of Adelaide’s City Library, drawing on both State and Public Library expertise alongside early literacy research. The goal is a space that works for children at all different literacy levels – whether your child is a baby who loves a board book, a five-year-old obsessed with picture books or a ten-year-old working through chapter books.
There’s also a meaningful cultural element: Little Library will work with the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music and Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi at Adelaide University to bring elements of the Kaurna Songbook into the space – connecting children with the stories and language of Country.
When does Little Library open?
Little Library opens in August 2026, located on the ground floor Spence Wing of the State Library of South Australia on North Terrace, Adelaide. Entry is free.
For program details and opening information: