Helen Silver appointed new president of State Library Victoria

State Library Victoria will enter its next chapter under new leadership, with respected public sector figure Helen Silver AO appointed as the 25th president of the Library Board of Victoria.

The appointment, announced by Creative Industries Minister Colin Brooks, comes as the State Library marks its 170th anniversary and follows the retirement of Christine Christian AO, who served on the board from 2013 and as president since 2021.

Ms Silver is one of Victoria’s most experienced governance figures, with a career spanning senior roles in both the public and private sectors. She served as secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet from 2008 to 2013 and has also held leadership and board roles across the arts, infrastructure, banking and insurance sectors.

She currently chairs the Australian Children’s Television Foundation and has previously served on the boards of the Victorian Arts Centre Trust and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

In a statement, Ms Silver said she was honoured to take on the role.

“The library’s mission is vital, to provide free access to knowledge, support research and learning, and enrich the lives of all Victorians,” she said.

I look forward to supporting the library’s continued service to the community and helping expand opportunities for every Victorian to discover, learn, and connect.

The appointment has been widely welcomed as a strong and experienced choice for one of Victoria’s most important public institutions, particularly given Ms Silver’s long-standing links to the creative and cultural sectors.

At the same time, some concerns have been raised in light of her role leading the Silver Review into the Victorian Public Service, with critics questioning whether her appointment will reassure those still uneasy after recent tensions over the library’s direction.

The leadership change comes only weeks after a significant backlash over a proposed reorganisation at the State Library, which would have reduced public-facing librarian roles in favour of more digitally focused services. The proposal was ultimately withdrawn following fierce opposition from staff, union members, writers, academics and library users, who argued the institution’s core public service role was under threat.

That controversy placed fresh scrutiny on the library’s board and executive leadership, and sharpened debate about how the institution should evolve while preserving its traditional strengths, particularly its specialist staff and face-to-face research support.

Against that backdrop, Ms Silver’s appointment is likely to be closely watched by the library’s many stakeholders, not only as a matter of governance but as a signal of how the institution intends to balance reform with trust.

Minister Brooks praised Ms Silver as an “extraordinary leader” and also paid tribute to outgoing president Christine Christian for her leadership and long service.

During her tenure, Ms Christian championed free access to the library’s spaces and collections and supported initiatives such as StartSpace, the library’s free entrepreneurial hub.

For now, the appointment marks both a transition and a reset moment for the State Library, as it looks to move beyond recent internal unrest and into what the government is calling its “next era”. •