UQ Alumni Book Fair®

Brisbane's longest-running book fair

In 2023, over 7,500 people joined us at the UQ Alumni Book Fair – raising $212,129 for student scholarships, research and UQ educators through the sale of second-hand books, records, magazines and more!  

The UQ Alumni Book Fair is made possible thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers who form part of Alumni Friends. Since 1967, Alumni Friends has raised over $11 million to support UQ students and researchers.

Three books with headphones holding them together.

Industry Panel – Recovery in the Arts

29 April 2023 1:45pm4:00pm
Join a panel of Queensland’s cultural leaders as they tackle the tough questions about the future of our arts industries. This free event is being presented by the UQ Centre for Critical and Creative Writing and will be held alongside the UQ Alumni Book Fair.
Fairy reads a book to a child.

UQ Alumni Book Fair: family fun day

29 April 2023 9:00am5:00pm
Join us on Saturday 29 April for a family day at the UQ Alumni Book Fair, including face painting, storytelling and a gelato cart!
Three old books tied with a pink ribbon.

UQ Alumni Rare Book Auction

28 April 2023 6:30pm9:00pm
Join us as hundreds of works go under the hammer in 2023, including a remarkable first-edition copy of Winnie-the-Pooh and books from as early as the 1700s!

UQ Alumni Book Fair® (in person)

28 April 2023 9:00am1 May 2023 3:00pm
More than 110,000 books, magazines, vinyl records, videos, DVDs and other pre-loved goodies will be available at this year’s UQ Alumni Book Fair®, helping us raise funds for UQ student scholarships.

Dine like it's 1747 at Patina at Alumni Court

26 April 2023 11:30am28 April 2023 8:30pm
Want to go back in time? Now is your chance - Patina at UQ Alumni Court is whipping up a 275-year-old pudding recipe and 161-year-old salmon recipe, to celebrate the UQ Alumni Rare Book Auction.
Kids holding books.

Family Day at the UQ Alumni Book Fair (in person)

30 April 2022 10:00am3:00pm
Calling all little book lovers! The UQ Alumni Book Fair is holding a special Family Day for the first time this year.
Rare books at the Fryer Library.

White glove talk: rare Australian books from UQ’s Fryer Library (in person)

29 April 2022 5:30pm7:00pm
Don the white gloves and get up close to some of the treasures of Australian literature in this intimate event at UQ’s Fryer Library.

Donations, volunteering, and the Rare Book Auction

Rare Book Auction

The Rare Book Auction is an opportunity for community members and collectors across the world to access rare books and other limited-edition items donated from private collections. 

Funds raised from the Rare Book Auction go towards scholarships, bursaries and research grants to help further the education of students at UQ. In 2023, the UQ Rare Book Auction raised $27,280 for student scholarships, research and educators.

What makes the books so special? It could be their rarity, their provenance, their artistic value, their local historical significance, their academic influence, or even quality of their printing and binding. 

If you’d like to discuss donating a rare book, please reach out to the Book Group on +61 7 3346 3166.

Volunteer to support the Book Fair

The Book Group donate approximately 10,000 collective hours to make the UQ Alumni Book Fair a success – breathing new life into more than 110,000 books, records and other items. 

Their work is critical to both the University, and the care of our planet, saving thousands of books from landfill every year.

If you’re a fellow booklover who would like to get involved – we would love to hear from you!

Volunteering as a current student

If you're a current UQ student, volunteering at the Book Fair is a great way to expand your skills and knowledge. Each year, the Book Fair organisers engage with over 100 volunteer students to make the Book Fair a success! If you are studying any of the following areas, we'd be grateful for your assistance: marketing; writing, editing and publishing; stock control and distribution; finance; database management; and sales.

To volunteer throughout the year, or at the Book Fair Event, please email uqalumni@uq.edu.au or phone +61 7 3346 3166 between 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

Donating books

We welcome donations of books of all types, magazines, vinyl records, posters, DVDs and CDs. Donations for the UQ Alumni Book Fair and Rare Book Auction can be left in the Book Shed, in the car park behind Building 82E, Seddon West, St Lucia campus, any time of day. The Book Bunker is also available for donations at UQ’s Long Pocket Campus, 80 Meiers Rd, Indooroopilly (adjacent to the Banksia loading bay). Please note that the Long Pocket Campus is not open outside office hours.

If you have over ten medium-sized boxes of books and live in Brisbane, the Book Group may be able to help collect your books from you. To discuss a collection, please call the Book Group on +61 7 3346 3166.

Your donations are very appreciated!

Have a question about the UQ Alumni Book Fair?