You Have a New Memory

You Have a New Memory is a State Library Victoria exhibition that explores how and why we remember, through the lens of the Library’s enduring collections. A meditation on the idea of memory, the exhibition invites curiosity about how memories are made, preserved and shared. Through a cinematic slideshow alongside objects on display, encounter extraordinary and little-known memories hand-picked from our more than 4.5 million collection items – from deeply personal diaries and sacred cultural artefacts to stories we may never fully know. Across 170 years of collecting and stewardship, the exhibition elevates the ordinary and the exceptional alike to show that our collective memory is built as much from everyday life as it is from historic events. Moving between the intimate and the collective, You Have a New Memory invites you to reflect on your own memories – and leave with new ones.