Archive for 2017

Visions of fairyland: Herbert Swire’s watercolours

Visions of fairyland: Herbert Swire’s watercolours

May 19, 2017

Such was life:

Herbert Swire was 22 years old when he joined a scientific voyage to Antarctica on board the ship, HMS Challenger. He captured what he saw in two delicate watercolours that have recently been donated to the library.

The YVR Collection : a treasure trove of vintage recordings

The YVR Collection : a treasure trove of vintage recordings

May 18, 2017

Music, Rare Books & Arts:

YVR = Ballarat Vintage Recordings.  This sequence contains several collections of vinyl recordings that include the ABC Sound Library, Kevin James Collection, Betty Pounder Collection, and Ron White Collection.  They are stored… Read More ›

Meek’s Atlas: The story of a 155 year old oversized map

Meek’s Atlas: The story of a 155 year old oversized map

May 17, 2017

Our stories:

In late 2015, thirteen uncatalogued oversized maps and charts held in the Library’s Maps Collection were prioritised for treatment during a routine collection survey. Further investigation revealed two significant 1862 photolithographs of the 1861 oversized pen-and-ink drawing Meek’s Atlas of the British Colonies in Continental and Insular Australia.

Mr and Mrs Hanify on tandem, 10 March 1900, State Library Victoria

616 issues of the Australian Cyclist (1893–1905) go online

May 15, 2017

News:

Perfect for cycling enthusiasts or vintage bicycle buffs, the Australian Cyclist advocates all aspects of the bicycle, and included advertisements for local bike shops and depots, reviews of road races, programs of racing events, local league notes and, of course, cycling club gossip.

Australian ornithologists in Siberia

Australian ornithologists in Siberia

April 28, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

In 1903 the Australian ornithologist Robert Hall (1867-1949) embarked on his major expedition to Siberia (via Japan and Korea), to collect specimens and eggs of Siberian birds known to migrate… Read More ›

“Kick it to Hunter, the screw kick punter!”

“Kick it to Hunter, the screw kick punter!”

April 13, 2017

Our stories:

Bill Hunter has been researching his grandfather, Fred Hunter, a star footballer in the Healesville area for many years from the early 1900s. Bill believes that it was Fred who perfected what is now known as the banana kick, a kick for goal from an impossible angle that screws at right angles. Fred’s father, Richard Rowan, developed the kick in the 1890s, and Fred perfected it during his playing days to the point where fans exhorted the team to “Kick it to Hunter, the screw kick punter!”

Half a Cow Records, 2016

New Sounds : local performers, Electrical Bananas, Firework Dogs & assorted others.

April 7, 2017

Music, Rare Books & Arts:

Lots of new arrivals in the Library’s large collection of recordings by local groups, performers and composers, all released on independent labels.

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection

March 30, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection portrays Echuca in the 1950s and ’60s as a town driven by community spirit.

The redeveloped Ian Potter Queen's Hall.

Revealed today – Architectural designs for State Library Victoria

March 30, 2017

Announcements, News:

State Library Victoria is proud to reveal the new designs for its $88.1 million redevelopment, Vision 2020. The new designs, created by internationally acclaimed firms Architectus and Denmark’s Schmidt Hammer Lassen, will transform this iconic Melbourne institution and open up 40% more space to the public.

The owl and the heiress: The life of one book over six centuries

The owl and the heiress: The life of one book over six centuries

March 29, 2017

Arts & literature, Our stories:

What do Athena’s little owl, an unashamedly unmarried Chicago heiress, and the Heide School of modernist Australian artists have in common? A book in our collection, as it turns out… Recently I… Read More ›