In 2017, National Library Fellow Dr Sue Chen found a fragile Chinese document, along with several other loose and damaged pages, within the National Library’s manuscripts collection. Scrunched up and torn, it was hidden between the pages of a bound volume from 1898: Journal of Itineration by Reverend Jasper McIlvaine. Sue's fellowship research focused on Chinese children's literature—a genre that was introduced to China by Christian missionaries. Share: Facebook Twitter  ..read more

The National Library, your home of Australian stories, is proud to be the custodian of the papers of the legendary Australian bush poet A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson (1864-1941), famous as the author of The Man from Snowy River and Australia's best-loved folk song, Waltzing Matilda.  Share: Facebook Twitter  ..read more

Inside the entrance of the Main Reading Room at the National Library sit two handsome globes. Like the globes they are modelled on from the 17th century, being celestial and terrestrial, they show the night sky and the lands and oceans. They have graced our reading rooms since 1978 and are a constant source of interest and fascination to our visitors, as well as being a visible demonstration of the wonders of our incredible map collection. Share: Facebook Twitter  ..read more

On 9 May 2021, Old Parliament House celebrated it’s 94th birthday and I have been pondering it’s history in connection with women and Parliament. I have been slowly reading Professor Clare Wright’s You Daughters of Freedom, which is about the women, ‘who won the vote and inspired the world’. I say slowly reading, because I have been pausing after the introduction of each new player to investigate the primary sources for myself. I recommend reading or listening to Professor Clare Wright’s author talk on her book here. Share: Facebook Twitter  ..read more

In September 2020, fashion label Zimmermann launched their 2021 Spring Collection, Wild Botanica. The collection features 10 of Ellis Rowan's artworks as statement prints, with Nicky Zimmermann drawing creative inspiration from the National Library's Ellis Rowan collection.  Share: Facebook Twitter  ..read more

I wrote a Canberra Day post last year, which came out of my dismay at no longer enjoying the Sandgroper public holiday for my birthday now that I live in Canberra. This year, we are celebrating Canberra Day on 8 March, which I realised is International Women’s Day – Votes for Women! – thus an excellent opportunity to reflect on the lives of two of the many women involved in the creation of our federal capital: Lady Gertrude Mary Denman and Marion Mahony Griffin. Share: Facebook Twitter  ..read more

A small but striking sculpture on display in the Special Collections Reading Room symbolically invites you to discover the National Library’s extensive Music Collection. This year’s Friends Creative Arts Fellow David Wickham will explore and share with us the works of composer Frederick Septimus Kelly but there is much more to be found. Share: Facebook Twitter  ..read more

Explore some fruity tales from the National Library’s collections as part of Enlighten 2021.  Inspired by the United Nation’s International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, the National Library’s Enlighten experience includes images, music and interviews. From artist Ellis Rowan’s richly coloured native fruits to advertising posters for pineapples, from peach canning to winemaking, use your time at Enlighten NLA to reflect on the role fruit has played in agriculture, industry, work and leisure, and in the food we eat. Share: Facebook Twitter  ..read more

In this exclusive interview with the National Library, Nicky Zimmermann discusses how she drew creative inspiration from the Library’s Ellis Rowan collection for Zimmermann's Spring 21 collection, Wild Botanica. Nicky Zimmermann How did you come across the work of Australian artist Ellis Rowan? What initially attracted you to Rowan’s flora and fauna paintings and what was it that struck you about her work? Share: Facebook Twitter  ..read more

Erythrina insularis F.M. Baily, family Fabaceae and butterflies, Papua New Guinea, nla.cat-vn1168540, alongside a look from Zimmermann's 2021 Spring Collection, Wild Botanica. Share: Facebook Twitter  ..read more