Collection Care, Preservation, Preventive conservation:
Baron Ferdinand von Mueller served as Government Botanist and Director of the Botanical Gardens in the mid-1800s. He compiled and published ‘The Educational Collections of Australian Plants’ (1873-1876), motivated by a desire to bring botany to the masses. The Library’s edition was recently rehoused by our Preservation team.
‘The Queen’s Reading Room’ opened on 24 May 1859 when the south wing of the Library was completed. Restoration works began in 2017 and in 2019, the space was re-opened to the public as the Ian Potter Queen’s Hall.
The Sun News-Pictorial captured so many Victorian stories. Its extensive coverage of local events, showing familiar places and faces, resonated with Victorians. After 100 years, it’s time to make these stories accessible to all by digitising the daily paper.
Ask a librarian, New to the collection:
There have been a few new additions to our online eresources lately. These can be explored from outside the Library if you are a Victorian-resident Library member – log in with your Library member number, or sign up for membership online to begin. Let’s take a look at what’s available.
International Nurses Day is celebrated on Friday 12 May – the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. In today’s blog we explore the history of nursing in Victoria and take a glimpse at the nurses featured in our collection.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
Snapshots of the past, documented by films. From the birth of Karl Marx through to the Russian Revolutions and into the1980s, explore the communist world through the eyes of socialist film makers.
Collection Care, Conservation, Preservation, Tips and tricks:
Looking for some more insights into the day-to-day activities of the Library’s Collection Care team?
Part 2 of the A-Z of Collection Care series takes us from marvellous maps to pesky pests and beyond.
Rarely a day goes by that State Library Victoria’s librarians don’t consult Trove – it is an indispensable resource for a wide range of research. We put a call out to State Library Victoria staff to share their favourite discoveries on Trove. From articles that revealed previously unknown details of their family history, to a bizarre ad for the film Frankenstein, their discoveries reveal what a rich resource for research Trove can be.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories:
Archives Unbound is a Gale electronic database made up of hundreds of resources, many previously unpublished, from the Middle Ages through to 20th century political history.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories, Victorian history:
The Historical Maps and Plans Collection is a boon for researchers, containing everything from descriptions of what the landscape was like when Europeans arrived, to the locations of early buildings and houses, pastoral runs, and even shipwrecks.
On 6 April 1966, in a quiet suburb south east of Melbourne, reports emerged of something strange in the sky…
The Etkins collection consists of wonderful portraits of people and places throughout 19th century Victoria.
