National Library of Australia Council chair Ryan Stokes announced on Wednesday the star had been enlisted for the official opening of Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita to Australia on November 6, ahead of the opening to the public on November 7.

Canberra in November is shaping up to be a mini-Hollywood with legendary film producer Harvey Weinstein in the national capital for three days from November 22 as his work is honoured in a series of events including a gala ball. Australian actors Rachel Griffiths, Geoffrey Rush and Guy Pearce will all be attending, and several other stars, including Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, have been invited.

Mr Stokes said the library had been "very fortunate" to secure the services of Crowe for the exhibition of maps from public and private collections from around the world.

"He has a natural interest in maps," he said.

"And I think what we're doing is bringing this global collection of maps, and Australia's best maps, together and that's something he found interesting so that enticed him and will bring him down to the library."

When asked if he had negotiated directly with Crowe, Mr Stokes said, "we reached out and asked and he was very receptive to do that".

"I think the significance of the collection and his interest were the main reasons," he said.

With a security guard by its side at all times, one of the rarest maps in the world, was also revealed, acquired by the library to sit centre stage in the exhibition which will run from November 7 to March 10.

The map, Archipelagus Orietalis, sive Asiaticus (The Eastern and Asian Archipelago), created in 1663 by master cartographer for the Dutch East India Company, Joan Blaeu, was found in a storage facility in Sweden in 2010.

It arrived at the library rolled up in bubble wrap and staff, led by manager of preservation Robin Tait, have already spent 200 hours stabilising it and working to preserve it.

Mr Stokes said the fragile cloth, paper and wood artefact was the most important map documenting Australia's presence prior to the arrival of the British.

"It is the map on which all subsequent maps of New Holland are based, the primary source for the mapping that Cook had to complete the picture in 1770," he said.

"It also has the distinction of including, for the first time on a map, details of the sighting of Tasmania by Tasman's crew aboard the Zeehaen on 24 November, 1642."

New Zealand-born Crowe might be interested to see it also charts his homeland.

Curator of maps, Dr Martin Woods, said the map had been purchased by the library for an undisclosed amount.

"In these price arrangements, we tend to, at the vendor's wishes, keep the price to ourselves because it tends to inflate pricing," he said.

"And, of course, we're a public institution, so it's something we like to be a little cagey about. So it really is priceless from our point of view."

Ms Tait said agreeing to take on the challenge of trying to preserve the map was really "a matter of courage" because it was so difficult.

"I have to say once you first saw it, we were all very nervous about the object," she said.

"And when it was initially unrolled, quite a lot of pieces actually fell off it. So it is significantly fragile because of the verdigris damage. As we've become more familiar with the item, we're probably, a lot more, shall we say, confident."

Mr Stokes said the exhibition had been made possible by contributions from the federal and ACT governments, as well as sponsors. He urged the public to attend the exhibition and "lose yourself in the world's greatest maps".

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity opportunity for everyone to see these remarkable treasures in the one place during Canberra's centenary year - and to see them for free," he said.