Think the National Library of Australia is just about books? Think again

Posted on 11 December, 2025

Pages from William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, a cedar bookcase carved by Dorothea Mackellar, and the original sheet music composed for Waltzing Matilda. These are just some of the things you’ll discover in the National Library of Australia.

That’s right – they have a lot more than just books.

Opening the new Treasures Gallery exhibition on Saturday 13 December, the National Library of Australia is showcasing the extraordinary items housed in its extensive collection.  There are plenty of treasures to uncover, from maps and books to manuscripts, photographs, paintings and ephemera.

Christina Macpherson, Waltzing Matilda manuscript notated by Christina Macpherson (the Bartlam-Roulston manuscript), c. 1895.

The aim of the refreshed Treasures Gallery is to highlight stories and items reflective of the lives of everyday people.

Growing by 2.5 linear kilometres per year, a copy of everything published in Australia is given to the Library – both physical and digital. But according to exhibition curator Dr Grace Blakeley-Carroll, there’s one question visitors always ask: ‘Where are the books?’

“We wanted to address it, because when people think of a national library, the image that can come to one’s mind is a lot of books – maybe old books – and really high shelves,” she explains.

“This Library is a little bit different, you don’t always see the books when you come in.”

NewsLifeMedia Pty Ltd, Vogue Australia cover, May 2022.

Offering a behind-the-scenes look into the Library’s work, each item in the Treasures Gallery has been carefully chosen to show how Australian life has evolved and changed.

“We’ve got a wonderful display looking at Australian life that has a bit of a then and now feeling to it,” says Dr Blakeley-Carroll.

“I think through that display, you see how Australia has evolved over the years, and you get a bit of a window into different experiences and different ways that people live their lives.”

William Shakespeare and Sangorski & Sutcliffe, printed by Isaac Iaggard and Ed Blount, The Merchant of Venice, 1623.

And while Shakespeare might seem an unexpected inclusion in an Australian collection, Dr Blakeley-Carroll notes that he “belongs to the world” and his works highlight the history of printing.

The fact the pages from his First Folio have come from the Library’s rare book collection makes it even more special.

Mixing together both rare and relatable items, other highlights in the Treasures Gallery include a tactile map of Australia embossed with Braille script from 1889; phrenologist and fortune-teller Zinga Lee’s fortune-telling cards and even a display of The Wiggles’ websites from 1997 to today from the Australian Web Archive.

Zinga Lee and M.P. (Marmion Percy) Adams, Zinga Lee fortune-telling by cards, by the original Zinga Lee, 1900.

If that’s not enough, there are also images of Diwali celebrations, balls, share house residents, and the 27 brides over 64 years who all wore the Lockhart family’s wedding veil.

“Audiences might not expect to see the everyday items on display as ‘treasured’. We’ve consciously tried to include them,” explains Dr Blakeley-Carroll.

“When people are physically coming to an exhibition, they want to see objects. They want to see content, whether it’s physical books or pictures. But also, increasingly our collection is composed of original digital materials – such as e-books – and other material that has been digitised, such as the manuscripts of Freda Thompson, the pioneering aviator.”

Air pilot’s cap and goggles owned by Freda Thompson, 1934.

“Balancing the physical and online elements throughout the exhibition provides pathways for visitors if they want to continue their journey at home,  but also helps them understand how the online content has come from the physical.”

Originally opened in 2011, and established partly through philanthropic contributions, Dr Blakeley-Carroll says that reopening a refreshed Treasures Gallery marks an evolution of how the Library connects with visitors. Viewing everything they collect as a treasure, she believes as people explore the Treasures Gallery, they will enjoy seeing a different side to the Library.

Lisa Maree Williams, Phaneendra and Kiran Nagella with their children Mahika Nagella and Prishita Nagella outside their home, decorated with lights during annual Diwali celebrations, Nirimba Fields, Blacktown, New South Wales, 31 October, 2024.

The new exhibition also answers some of the other burning questions visitors usually ask – including the two-decade-old question, Where Is the Green Sheep?

“I think  they will enjoy learning more about their National Library and seeing some things that are a little bit fun – like the Green Sheep display, where we have the original illustrations in the collection by Judy Horacek, and the manuscripts by Mem Fox.”

“Most of all, I do hope people see themselves somewhere in this display.”

With the Mabo v Queensland (No. 2) display – which was curated by Edward Mabo’s daughter Gail and explores the 30th anniversary of the Mabo decision – also returning to the gallery for its reopening, a visit to the Library sounds long overdue.

Entry is free, and no bookings are required.

Feature image: Lia Ribeiro de Noronha and Nur Aishah Kenton, Lia Ribeiro de Noronha’s collage overlaying a photograph of (left to right) William Bird, Maeve, Lia Ribeiro de Noronha, Myla Nicholas and Anna Jourdant sitting in their share house in Brisbane, Queensland, 23 November 2023, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3640683013