Analysis of the ‘things that work’, together with wide consultation with Indigenous people and governments, identified the following ‘success factors’:

•  A cooperative approach between Indigenous people and government
•  Public-private partnerships: any project that harnesses the goodwill and resources of all potential     stakeholders, including, corporations, philanthropists, government and volunteers are more likely to be successful
• Community involvement in program design and decision-making — a ‘bottomup’ rather than ‘top-down’ approach is essential for sustainable outcomes. 
• A culturally sensitive needs analysis needs be conducted and ongoing community consultation processes incorporated into any project in remote Indigenous communities
• Good governance — at organisation, community and government levels
• Ongoing government support — including human, financial and physical resources.

The lack of these factors can often contribute to program failures.

Here are some projects that we have found to be very effective in Indigenous Communities:

Indigenous Knowledge Centres (IKCs) operate in partnership with Local Government. Councils are responsible for the physical infrastructure, staffing and day to day operations of their IKC, while State Library of Queensland provides set-up materials (books, magazines, audiovisual materials and computers), staff training and fun literacy and recreational programs.

The Centres provide both traditional library services (including information and communication technologies) as well as a means and a place to capture and preserve local history and traditions.

The State Library currently supports eighteen IKCs, primarily in the Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait regions. The first Centres were established in 2002.