Be among the first to see the National Library of Australia’s new exhibition 1968: Changing Times, as the Friends host an exclusive preview with an introductory lecture by exhibition co-curator Dr Grace Blakeley-Carroll.

1968 marks the 50th birthday of the opening of the National Library of Australia’s beautiful building. To mark this important anniversary, the Library is presenting a new exhibition that explores what was happening in this tumultuous year. Whether it was the wars in Vietnam and Nigeria, student demonstrations, the murder of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, or the blistering power of a Hendrix solo, there was a strong sense that the world was rapidly changing. Australia was facing its own challenges with the swearing in of a new Prime Minister, John Gorton, and growing unrest about conscription for overseas military service. The opening of the Library’s new building in Canberra in August 1968 was a moment of national pride and achievement in the midst of this turbulent time. 1968:  Changing Times is an opportunity to revisit the late 1960s and celebrate the completion of one of Canberra’s great public buildings. 

Become a member of the Friends of the National Library of Australia.