Where are the women in the story of Australia?
National Library partners with She Shapes History
We are thrilled to announce an ongoing partnership with She Shapes History. Led by Founder and CEO Sita Sargeant, 2026 ACT Young Australian of the Year, the partnership will bring a series of events, research guides, and digital storytelling projects to the Library. Together with Library curators and special guests, Sita and her team will uncover the often-under-recognised women’s stories in Australia’s history.
This collaboration will explore unique stories sometimes over-looked by cultural institutions – including the history of sex work, queer women, women in STEM, to women with disabilities and the histories of First Nations, East Asian, African, and South Asian women.
Each quarter over four years, Sita will host an event with a historical expert and someone currently shaping history in their field. Alongside the events, She Shapes History will produce research guides and digital content to help Australians discover and engage with women’s histories, and perhaps even find themselves reflected in the national collection.
I’m so excited for this partnership with the National Library of Australia. Women have always been here shaping history in this country, and there are countless stories in the Library’s collection that can attest to this. This partnership is about making those stories accessible, engaging and relevant. It’s about creating more respect and recognition for women, historically and today.
The Library holds some of the richest collections of women’s histories in Australia, and this partnership, along with our collecting and digitisation priorities, is another way the Library is acknowledging the extraordinary achievements of women across this country.
The inaugural event, titled Why didn’t anyone tell me Australian history was actually interesting? kicks off on 13 June. Tickets are now available.
Sita Sargeant is available for interviews. The Library’s Senior Research Advisor Dr Susannah Helman is also available for interviews. Please contact us to enquire.
A range of images for media use are available at our Dropbox.
Enquiries
Lauren Conron, Media Liaison, National Library of Australia
Phone: 0401 226 697
Email: media@nla.gov.au