Libraries as treasures
The place that objects have in this exhibition reminds us of how words are just one route to interpreting and understanding the past. A suit of clothes may be as illuminating as a diary. A quilt may be as revealing as a book. The best histories often take account not only of what has been written but also of what has been made, used and depicted. Their authors need libraries not only for their wealth of books, newspapers and manuscripts, but also for their great holdings of pictures and objects.
Yet the items in this exhibition also provide a very partial view of why libraries themselves deserve treasuring. The objects in National Treasures from Australia’s Great Libraries are effective exhibits because they are either iconic or easily engaging, often because they relate to famous events, places, people or products. The great strength of Australia’s great libraries is that their collections are far more all-embracing. More than any other cultural institution, they collect and preserve material across the culture and, in doing so, are central to it.
