Join authors Trish FitzSimons and Madelyn Shaw as they discuss their new book, Fleeced: Unravelling the History of Wool and War at the National Library of Australia. Drawing extensively on the National Library’s collections, Fleeced: Unravelling the History of Wool and War explores how, throughout history, heightened demand for wool in wartime existed in a […]
Join the National Library for the third illustrated Shakespeare lecture and discover the objects and stories that reveal how Shakespeare made landfall in Australia. In the nineteenth century, Australia made and broke Shakespeare stars. Far from being disconnected from the rest of the world, the discovery of gold in 1850s made Australia a chief destination […]
Join the National Library for the 2025 Kenneth Myer Lecture in Melbourne, presented by Professor Brett Sutton AO. The world is increasingly faced with what might be termed existential threats – climate change, biodiversity loss, fracturing of multilateralism and social cohesion, enabled by political and ideological polarisation and mis- and disinformation. These threats have complex […]
Kutcha Edwards delivers the inaugural Bringing Them Home Oration at the National Library of Australia. The Bringing Them Home Oral History project ran between 1998 and 2002. The project was established by the Library in response to the first recommendation of Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and […]
What did Katherine Parr and Henry VIII write in their books? Step into the private libraries of one of history’s most infamous royal couples and discover how ink, margins, and manuscript flourishes reveal more than meets the eye. In this illuminating lecture at the National Library, renowned scholar Professor Micheline White delves into the marginalia […]
This Science Week, learn about the features, habitat and behaviours of some truly peculiar Australian animals! In this interactive online learning session, your students will join author Stephanie Owen Reeder and illustrator Ingrid Bartkowiak and engage closely with the text and artwork of their engaging and informative new book Peculiar Parents. The session will include […]
Join Prof John Morrissey for a discussion about his recent Fellowship research focused on the environmental writing of renowned Australian poet and author Judith Wright. Prof John Morrissey is a 2025 National Library of Australia Fellow, supported by the Stokes family. During his Fellowship, Prof John Morrissey explored Wright’s archives to uncover her writing on […]
Susannah Fullerton OAM, President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia will deliver a public lecture marking the 250th Anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. In 1775 a girl was born in a small Hampshire village. As a teenager, she began to write stories, little dreaming that one day her writings would be beloved around the […]
The Second World War represents the greatest loss of life in an armed conflict that the world has ever seen. On the 80th anniversary of the war ending, explore stories of the conflict from the National Library’s collections. Representatives of Britain, Russia, France and the United States accepted the unconditional surrender of the German Armed […]
To celebrate his latest book What a Ripper! 60 everyday objects that shaped Australia, Tim Ross is being joined on stage at the National Library by one of the designers featured in the book, Mary Featherston. After a short presentation on his favourite iconic designs in the book, Mary (an icon herself) will join him […]
Join Professor Helen Ennis as she discusses her extensive writing on the work of Australian women photographers at the National Library of Australia. This event is held in association with the National Foundation for Australian Women and the Australian Women’s Archives Program (AWAP). Winter Tales events feature a notable woman speaking about her life and […]
Join the National Library for an evening of compelling debate as six of Australia’s premier academics tackle the complex question of whether Australia’s history unites us. Don’t miss this thought-provoking event, packed with engaging discussions and opportunities for audience participation. Proudly presented by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the National Library […]