Last Friday at the State Library, the Melbourne Press Club announced their 2013 Victorian Media Hall of Fame inductees and that the Melbourne Press Club and State Library are working together to create a permanent home for the Hall of Fame at the Library.

The State Library is an appropriate home for the Hall of Fame – containing the most complete collection of Melbourne newspapers anywhere, dating back to the city’s first newspaper handwritten in 1838. The Melbourne Press Club’s Victorian Media Hall of Fame at the Library will feature information about people who have made significant contributions to journalism and the history of the news media in Victoria. Meanwhile, the State Library has been making some news of its own.

Yesterday the Premier of Victoria Denis Napthine announced the State Library of Victoria will stage a world-first exhibition about Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables coinciding with the musical’s return to the Melbourne in 2014.

Tonight, in a Melbourne exclusive, the Library hosts the Golden Globe and Grammy award winning composer of Les Misérables, Claude-Michel Schönberg in conversation with Julia Zemiro.

Last Wednesday the Library announced the donation of a letter written by Scotsman, Donald Sutherland, containing an eyewitness account of Ned Kelly’s capture. This remarkable document sheds new light on one of Australia’s most scrutinised historical events. We put it on public display this week for the first time since it was written 133 years ago.

Library Board of Victoria President John Wylie said he was very excited by these announcements.

‘When you look at what the State Library is doing today it’s incredibly exciting. Our collections, our exhibitions and our events make the Library a first class cultural destination. Victorians can be proud of their State Library, it is one of the world’s finest and we’re bringing extraordinary experiences to Melbourne.

This year the Library celebrates the centenary of its iconic domed reading room. It is a timely reminder of how the Library has inspired great thinking for generations. We will continue to do so for generations to come.’

• Victor Hugo: Les Misérables – From Page to Stage brings together an extraordinary collection of rarely seen material from around the world including original writing and artwork from Victor Hugo along with never before exhibited items from the archive of legendary theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh. Showing at the State Library of Victoria from 18 July until 9 November 2014. To register interest and receive updates  online at: slv.vic.gov.au/victor-hugo-les-miserables

• Donald Sutherland’s eyewitness account of Ned Kelly’s capture is on display in free exhibition The Changing Face of Victoria and available to read online.
• A conversation with Claude-Michel Schönberg is booked out but the event will be recorded and made available on the State Library website soon.

• Explore the Melbourne Press Club Hall of Fame online: melbournepressclub.com/halloffame

• Explore the 100 year history of the domed reading room at: dome100.com.au