What if the things we remember most aren’t necessarily the things we expect to find in a history book? That is the idea behind You Have a New Memory, a fascinating new exhibition at State Library Victoria that digs into the ways we preserve the stories, objects and everyday moments that make up our collective memory.
Marking 170 years of collecting in Victoria, the free exhibition delves into the Library’s enormous collection of more than 4.5 million items, bringing together everything from deeply personal diaries and photographs to cultural artefacts, keepsakes and objects with stories hiding behind them.
There are plenty of unexpected discoveries along the way. Almost 200 diaries belonging to Melbourne man Ian Banks document four decades of ordinary life, including his meals, expenses, tram tickets and even the contents of his mailbox. A brick from Yallourn represents a town that no longer exists, while a pocket watch recalls an encounter with Ned Kelly.
Then there are the wonderfully quirky pieces, including a brass gong once used by librarians to remind visitors that it was time to leave, and a pair of battered leather work boots discovered inside a chimney during renovations to the Ian Potter Queen’s Hall.
But You Have a New Memory is about more than nostalgia. The exhibition also considers whose memories are collected, preserved and remembered, particularly through First Nations perspectives that challenge the idea that memory is fixed or universal.
“You Have a New Memory celebrates the act and art of stewardship: how a chain of people over 170 years have cared for the Library’s collections so Victorians and visitors alike will continue to enjoy access to our shared knowledge, stories and memories for generations to come,” said State Library Victoria Director, Collections and Chief Librarian Roxanne Missingham .
Senior Curator Dr Kate Rhodes calls it “a protest against forgetting”, inviting visitors to reflect on collective memories while discovering the hopes, dreams and everyday lives of people they may never have known.
You Have a New Memory is open daily until 27 June 2027 at Victoria Gallery. Entry is free.
