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Discover our collections

Women sit at a table talking to each other

June Orford, Class members, refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the former Yugoslavia, practise English language exercises at the Fitzroy Learning Network, Fitzroy, Victoria, 2005, nla.obj-137095404

Migration and immigration

A family dressed for a wedding laughs as they sit together on a couch

Conor Ashleigh, Bridal couple Achol and Marial and their bridal party, Sydney, December, 2013, nla.obj-506867692

Family history and genealogy

Street full of people celebrating Fairfield City Council's Cabramatta Moon Festival

Ken Leanfore, Park Road looking towards Freedom Plaza, Fairfield City Council's Cabramatta Moon Festival, 28 August, 2022, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3128830751

Asia

Globe of the world, surrounded with rings depicting the 'horizon' and signs of zodiac

J. van. Loon & Andreas Cellarius, Sitvs terrae circvlis coelestibvs circvndatae, 1660, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-230714394

Maps

Two women in navy and orange work wear with protective glasses, gas masks and tanks on their backs standing by a wall with an orange door and signs reading 'Danger Chlorine', 'Eye protection must be worn in this area', 'Liquid chlorine bulk storage' and more.

Ruth Maddison, Thilini Malalasekera and Tabatha James at the door of the liquid chlorine bulk storage room at Winneke Water Treatment Plant, Christmas Hills, Victoria, 2017, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-505676674

Feminism and women leaders

Black and white sketch of costume for the Princess-Mother in Swan Lake, with swatches of fabrics around the edges

Kristian Fredrikson, Costume and set sketches, Swan Lake (New Zealand) Act 1, nla.obj-3160686825

Performing arts

A group of four people who are very colourfully dressed, holding signs in a park. There are more groups of colourful people in the background.

Jiayuan Liang, The LGBTIQA+ communities assemble at Light Square before at the Pride March, Adelaide, 5 November, 2022, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3144558245

LGBTQIA+

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What's on

Title page of a landscape oriented printed book: ornate engraving featuring musical performers. Scene is framed by theatre curtains.

James Hook, Guida di Musica: Being a Complete Book of Instructions for Beginners on the Harpsichord or Piano Forte, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn8650184

The Excellencies of Musick: Highlights from the Jamie and Michael Kassler Collection

03 Dec 2024 - 17 Aug 2025

Enter the musical world of seventeenth and early nineteenth century Britain with rare prints, books and manuscripts.

Exhibition

Treasures Gallery

Assistance animals welcome

Wheelchair accessible

Colourful arts and crafts supplies, including markers, crayons, pencils, scissors, tissue paper, cardboard, wool and ribbon.

School holiday activity: Drop-in art and craft

22 - 24 Jan 2025

Celebrate the final days of our Hopes and Fears: Australian Migration Stories exhibition, with our drop-in art and craft school holiday activity.

Event

For kids and families

School holiday event

A black and white image of an asult and three children standing by the side of the road with an old fashioned car parked near them. The Sydney Opera House is in the background.

Sonia Di Mezza as a baby with Guido, Joseph and Anna Di Mezza under the Harbour Bridge, c.1972 or 1973, courtesy Sonia Di Mezza

Building our nation: How migrants and their children have shaped Australia

30 Jan 2025

Join Sonia Di Mezza, CEO of the Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services (MARSS) in Canberra, as she discusses how Australia was and is strengthened by migrants, and how important cultural diversity and inclusion is to modern day Australia.

Event

Talks and ideas

Exhibition curator standing in the Hopes and Fears exhibition gallery holding the exhibition book and smiling

Learn with the curators: Explore our Migration exhibition

31 Jan 2025

Delve into some of the treasures from our Hopes and Fears: Australian Migration Stories exhibition with the curators.

Event

Education/learning

Workshops and seminars

Webinar

View all events

Latest news

Black and white photo of damage to a caravan park about Cyclone Tracy, including several large tree branches on the ground and damaged caravans

Alan Dwyer, Caravan park in Darwin after Cyclone Tracy, December, 1974, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148903604

Commemorating Cyclone Tracy through images and oral histories

08 Jan 2025

Fifty years on, see how the destruction and impact of Cyclone Tracy in Darwin 1974 is captured in our collection.

Blog

Book covers side by side for the Artists of the National Library of Australia books about Olive Cotton and Wolfgang Sievers

Famous Australian artists showcased in book series from NLA Publishing

08 Jan 2025

Two new books in The Artists of the National Library of Australia series will be published in February 2025.

Media release

An open notebook with handwritten text in black ink

Handwritten manuscript for Old Blastus of Bandicoot from the Papers of Miles Franklin 1887-[ca. 1931], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-229628535

National Library releases out-of-copyright works

02 Jan 2025

Explore items in the National Library’s collection that enter the public domain this year, including the unpublished works of Miles Franklin and Chester Wilmot.

News