Professor Glyn Davis AC. Professor Davis delivered a lecture tracing the rise of large philanthropic foundations in Australia, pioneered by the Myer family, and ask about their role in helping – and challenging – government to work more effectively in communities which live with disadvantage.

The Library has a diverse collection of materials documenting the history of Australian musical performance.

Circus, magic and mime, and puppetry

The Dance collection includes unique Australian dance resources across a spectrum of dance styles.

We hold one of Australia’s largest collections of performing arts materials.

Our collections document the history and development of dramatic and comic theatre in Australia.

Dr Mei-fen Kuo presented a lecture on her 2023 National Library Fellowship research into our Chinese-language collections and how that has helped in rethinking the influence of the Cold War on the formation of contemporary Chinese Australian identities.

The Library recently acquired an original draft of a poem by Mark Twain in the form of a letter.

Illustrated by Tony Flowers

See how Yvette Grant used the Library’s collections to revive the memory of four women in the story of Australian ballet.