News & Media

A portrait of a smiling woman wearing glasses, a dark blue shirt and a silver pendant necklace

New Director-General for the National Library of Australia

24 Mar 2026

Minister for the Arts, The Honorable Tony Burke MP, has today announced the appointment of the new Director-General of the National Library of Australia.

Media release

A painting of two stockman riding horses and holding whips high in the air, capturing a bull

The Queenslander, ‘Cutting Out’ A Fat Beast, from Notes on Queensland, April 1894. Colour digital version by Warren Fahey.

What's On in April 2026 at the National Library

24 Mar 2026

A major exhibition, curator-led tours, online learning sessions, school holiday activities and author talks all feature in a packed month of events this April.

Media release

Five people standing in front of the Main Reading Room

Scholarships 2027: Explore, question, discover and share

23 Mar 2026

Applications for 2027 National Library of Australia Scholarships open on 23 March 2026.

Media release

A woman stands at her front gate receiving mail from a postman on foot who wears a hat and carries a mail bag. To the right is the cover of the book Postscript.

(L) Jim Fitzpatrick, Department of Information, John H Lowin, who delivers Drouin's mail, has a letter for Mrs Leslie Allison of Drouin, Victoria, 1944, nla.obj-147028185; (R) Book cover, Postscript

Power of correspondence celebrated in new book showcasing historical letters

09 Apr 2026

Selected letters from the National Library's vast collections have been paired with responses from contemporary Australians in this new publication.

Media release

A woman stands in a classroom gesturing at piles of readers laid out on the tables in the classroom.

Vivien Johnson, Charlotte Phillipus in the Papunya School’s Luritja Piipa in May 2010, courtesy of the photographer.

New book, Wangka Wakaṉutja: The Story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre

16 Mar 2026

Explore the remarkable achievements of the Papunya community to record and teach their language and culture.

Media release

Yellow poster with the black and white image of a group of children on pavement outside a building with the sign 'Murawina' on it, picture is captioned 'Aboriginal pre-school, Sydney, NSW', above the image the poster is titled 'Just this? - or Justice' in large font, underneath the image at the bottom of the poster says 'National Aborigines Week 7-13 July 1975', in the bottom right hand corner in tiny font is signed 'National Aborigines Day Observance Committee'

Designed by an unknown artist, Just This? — Or Justice: National Aborigines Week, 1975, https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/3044575

50 years of NAIDOC

13 Mar 2026

Breakfasts, bold voices, and a groundbreaking poster: step inside the first-ever NAIDOC Week in 1975 and meet the community of women who transformed a local children’s program into a national call for justice.

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