New home for the City Library
New Home for the City Library in 2026
Our team are busy behind the scenes preparing to move the City Library from Rundle Place to our new home on North Terrace. Until we move, the City Library remains open as usual.
The City Library services will soon be located on the 1st floor of the Spence Wing co-located with the State Library's Research Library.
In its new setting, the City Library will maintain its current generous floor space allowance, and all our collections and staff will make the move to our new home.
The State Library is also creating a dedicated children’s space on the Ground Floor of the Spence Wing, which will include the City Library's collection and borrowing services.
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Frequently asked questions
The State Library of South Australia and City of Adelaide partnership supports the State Library’s Future Services Vision and Council’s Strategic Plan 2024-2028, creating a central literary, cultural and community hub, enriching the offerings of both institutions, with enhanced collection and service access, creative and collaborative programming and events, and innovative library experiences under one roof.
The City Library and the State Library will remain separate entities that are co-located to achieve better leveraged outcomes.
The City Library will move from Rundle Place to North Terrace in 2026. You will soon find the City Library services on the 1st floor of the Spence Wing, co-located with the State Library's Research Library.
The State Library’s Research Library will temporarily close from Monday 20 April for upgrade works and to prepare the space to welcome the City Library.
These works will improve the Research Library space through new floor coverings and a reconfigured layout, supporting co‑located services into the future and creating a better experience for researchers and visitors.
All other spaces across the State Library, including Mortlock Chamber, exhibition spaces, Library Café, Institute Building and resident organisations will remain open as usual.
The shared goal of the State Library of South Australia and City of Adelaide is to sustain and enhance community benefit, improve the service offering and access, increase visitation and utilisation of services, and appeal to an even more diverse demographic of city residents, workers, students and visitors.
The State Library’s premises offers a central location for the City Library on North Terrace, the cultural boulevard, adjacent to Rundle Mall with good transport links, ground floor access and activation, enhanced cultural gallery and community hub amenities.
The State Library of South Australia is also creating a dedicated children’s space on the ground floor of the State Library which will be enjoyed by thousands of new families when it opens. It will include the City Library's collection and borrowing services. A feature of this collection will be the City Library’s environmentally friendly music toys, designed to spark joy, inspire creativity, and support skills development, in budding musicians aged 0-5. With this collection we celebrate and contribute to Adelaide’s designation as Australia’s first and only UNESCO City of Music.
No. The City Library will maintain its current generous floor space allowance, just in a different configuration, co-located with the State Library’s Research Library on the 1st floor of the Spence Wing.
Visitors will benefit from the additional amenities on offer at the State Library of South Australia, including the café, gallery, and study spaces in the Mortlock Chamber.
City Library visitors and members will continue to enjoy all existing services, including book and multimedia lending, membership benefits through the One Card Network, access to public PCs, digital technologies, creative programs and more. Customers will also gain seamless access to the State Library’s extensive collections, research services, exhibitions, programs and events.
With so many more presentation possibilities, the inspiring programs, events, workshops, and conversations you know and love will come to life in a variety of spaces.
The History Festival in May provides the perfect opportunity for our library team to pop up on North Terrace, introducing the first in a series of vibrant and culturally rich events in our soon to be new home, co-located with the State Library of South Australia.
Expect engaging talks with local author Warren Rankine discussing his memoir, Fifteen Feet Tall, the return of AdeLOL's Live Podcast of Adelaide's Silliest Stories after a sellout show in 2025, and multiple presentations featuring historian, journalist, and mystery author Lainie Anderson. We invite you to visit us in this exciting new setting, be inspired by some of South Australia's most interesting and talented creatives, and learn more about our upcoming move.
When registering online for City Library events and programs, please note the venue location, as our offerings span our current space in Rundle Place and our future address on Adelaide's cultural boulevard.