The UQ Alumni Book Fair
Friday 2 May: 9am–9pm
Saturday 3 May: 9am–5pm
Sunday 4 May: 9am–5pm
Monday 5 May: 9am–3pm
Location: UQ Centre, Union Road, UQ St Lucia Campus
Free event
More than 130,000 books, magazines, records, and other pre-loved goodies are available at the annual UQ Alumni Book Fair®, from as little as $1, helping us raise funds for UQ student scholarships and research.
The UQ Alumni Book Fair is an annual fundraiser based at The University of Queensland, organised by volunteers who harness their love of books and generously donate their time.
Dozens of works will go under the hammer at the 2025 Rare Book Auction, including a first-edition copy of The Handmaid's Tale, signed by Margaret Atwood, and books from as early as the 1600s.
This year, for the first time, we're also expanding our usual Saturday activities into a bumper day out with dozens of free talks, tours and kid-friendly pop-ups – you won't want to miss it!
UQ's beloved celebration of books is brought to you by Alumni Friends and our dedicated volunteers who have been busily sorting community donations. Every dollar raised goes towards student scholarships and research at UQ.
The Rare Book Auction will be held on 2 May 2025, for further information visit the website.
Location: UQ Centre, Union Road, UQ St Lucia Campus
Getting here: Casual parking is available under UQ Centre. Paid parking applies on Friday, 7am–9pm. Parking is free on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 May and on the public holiday, Monday 5 May. More information about parking at UQ.
St Lucia campus is conveniently accessible by bus and ferry. More information about public transport options.
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.
The next Rare Book Auction will be held on Friday May 2 2025.
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!