In Search of “Australia and the Australian People”: The National Library of Australia and the Representation of Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

Abstract

The Australian government’s 2017 Multicultural Statement implies that migrants are absorbed into a fully formed Australian nation. Their memories are to confirm that the process of absorption has been successful. Tasked to “maintain and develop […] a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the Australian people,” the National Library of Australia has a collection development policy that is informed by a comparatively expansive understanding of “Australia” and “the Australian people.” This chapter identifies factors that prevent the Library from fully realizing the aspirations of its policy but argues that its commitment “to build the nation’s memory,” guided by that policy, potentially challenges the idea of Australia as a territorially bounded nation-state and recognizes that migrants’ lives and memories keep transforming Australia.