Puma Energy supports Ideas Box launch

On July 23, 2015, Libraries Without Borders / Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (BSF) and State Library of Queensland, with the support of Puma Energy Foundation, Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Queensland Library Foundation and Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council, will deploy the first Ideas Box in Australia for Indigenous communities in Mapoon, Queensland.

Developed by BSF and designed by renowned creator Philippe Starck, the Ideas Box is a portable media centre designed as a kit that fits on two pallets and can be installed in less than 20 minutes to create a cultural space covering 100m².

With a satellite internet connection, 20 laptops and tablets, a library with both paper books and e-readers and a built-in cinema, the Ideas Box is a remarkable toolbox empowering children and adults alike to pave foundations for a self-reliant future.

Initially conceived for humanitarian and post-emergency situations, the Ideas Box also brings access to education, information, and cultural resources to remote communities.

Located on Cape York’s west coast in Far North Queensland, the Aboriginal community of Mapoon will be the first to receive an Ideas Box in Australia. Conceived by State Library of Queensland and Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council, the program will enable access to high quality, customized educational and cultural activities for the 400 members of the community.

Furthermore, the Ideas Box provides tools for content creation that can foster stronger community bonds through creativity and the preservation of culture and collective memory.

This implementation is the first phase of a long-term program developed in collaboration with the state libraries of Australia. Following the deployment in Mapoon, the Ideas Box will be deployed in Kowanyama, Queensland, and then will be extended to remote communities in Western Australia, with the support of the Puma Energy Foundation.