June kicks off with free Reconciliation Day events at the Library including guided exhibition tours and an introduction to our First Nations family history resources. 

Later in the month library and film lovers can join us for a free screening of award-winning Kenyan documentary How to Build a Library. And we’re offering insightful talks and ideas exploring: 

•    Colonial maritime mayhem
•    10 novels that changed the world
•    Stories behind the women who shaped Australia
•    Polio in 1950s regional Australia

Program

Reconciliation Day: First Nations family history tour

1 June | 11:00am | Free

The National Library is proud to participate in Reconciliation Day. Join us for an introduction to the First Nations family history resources we offer.

Reconciliation Day: Wangka Wakanutja exhibition tours

1 June | 11:00am, 12:00pm and 1:00pm | Free

Join one of our expert curators for a free guided tour of our major exhibition. Wangka Wakanutja: The Story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre showcases the beautifully illustrated books created by the community of Papunya in the Northern Territory between 1979 and 1990. 

The exhibition is open and free to visit daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Guided tours on Reconciliation Day will run at 11:00am, 12:00pm and 1:00pm. Bookings welcome but not essential.

Film screening: How to Build a Library

6 June | 2:00pm | Free

This award-winning documentary tells the story of two tenacious Nairobi women who decide to transform what used to be a whites-only library into a vibrant cultural hub. Along the way, they must navigate local politics, raise millions for the rebuild, and confront the lingering ghosts of Kenya’s colonial past.

Maritime mayhem in early Botany Bay

11 June | 6:00pm | Free, in-person and online

A little-known chapter of Australia’s past is that the convict settlement at Port Jackson became the first British port in the Pacific. Historian Chris Maxworthy uncovers tales of early whalers, privateers and adventurers and their daring voyages.

10 novels that changed the world

18 June | 6:00pm | $15-$30

Which novels have had a universal impact on our world? Author and leading literary authority Susannah Fullerton delivers an engaging lecture presented by the Friends of the Library. Highly recommended for book clubs!

She Shapes History at the National Library

13 June | 10:30am | $40

Why didn't anyone tell me Australian history was actually interesting? Maybe it's because you've never heard the full story. 
In the opening talk of this new event series Sita Sargeant of She Shapes History is joined by filmmaker and historian Santilla Chingaipe, Wiradjuri nurse and researcher Jacinta Mackay, and Chennai-born, Canberra-raised researcher and content creator Harini Rangarajan. Together they will explore the lesser-known histories of women in the story of Australia.

Experiences of polio in 1950s Australia

18 June | 12:30pm | Free, in-person and online

Poliomyelitis (polio) has largely been hidden from historical narratives of post-war Australia. Professor Catharine Coleborne presents her recent Fellowship research on people’s experiences of the illness in regional Australia across the 20th century.

Story Dogs on Sunday

28 June | 11:00am | Free, no bookings necessary

Drop in on the last Sunday of every month for a paw-sitive reading experience with trained volunteers and their accredited dogs. 

Winter Tales presents Justice Verity McWilliam

28 June | 2:00pm | $20

ACT Supreme Court Justice Verity McWilliam reflects on her life and work in the first Winter Tales presentation of 2026 for the National Foundation of Australian Women.

Media enquiries

Lauren Conron, Media Liaison, National Library of Australia

Phone: 0401 226 697

Email: media@nla.gov.au