Panel
Presentation Title:
Curating collections, stories and impact: exhibitions in Australian academic libraries
Presenter:
Jackson Mann, Jayne Cleave, Dr Megan Fizell, Jon Buckingham, Vanessa Low, Pip Minney, Kate Moskwa, Mia Turner
Date:
Thursday 14 May 2026 | 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Presentation Description:
Over the past decade, academic libraries in Australia have increasingly invested in exhibition-making teams and infrastructure. These growing exhibition programs represent a national shift in how academic libraries are positioning themselves within their university communities and to external audiences. As the role of exhibitions has expanded in library services, spaces and institutional identity, these programs have become important platforms for community engagement, scholarly communication and the discovery of unique collections.
This panel of library exhibition specialists from seven different universities across the country will explore this trend and discuss how the remit of exhibitions differs between their institutional contexts. Across these libraries, exhibitions span research showcases, archives, special collections and experiential learning. This panel will trace how these priorities have shifted over the past decade and offer a practical insight into what it means to curate a library exhibition in 2026.
Jackson Mann
Manager, Library Exhibitions and Public Programs, Deakin University Library
Presenter Bio
Jackson Mann is a library leader, curator and place-maker with over a decade of experience in academic libraries. He has developed community engagement programs in several inaugural roles at Deakin, UNSW and UTS libraries, and has held leadership positions across a diverse range of library portfolios including managing front-line library enquiry services. Jackson is currently Manager, Library Exhibitions and Public Programs at Deakin University Library, where he champions the role of academic libraries to be drivers of cultural production throughout the higher education sector.
Dr Megan Fizell
Curator, Special Collections and Exhibitions, University of New South Wales Library
Jon Buckingham
Program Manager, Curation and Innovation, University of Melbourne Library
Jayne Cleave
Library Exhibitions & Programs, Curtin University Library
Vanessa Low
Collections Engagement Curator, University of Sydney Library
Pip Minney
Library Exhibitions Curator, Deakin University Library
Kate Moskwa
Manager, Special Collections and Archives, University of Adelaide
Mia Turner
Exhibitions and Engagements Curator, University of Technology Sydney Library