Buildings & streets, Our stories, People & professions, Such was life, Victorian history:
Once upon a time a staff member sat in the Dais in the La Trobe Reading Room, watching over any chattering public. We asked two long term SLV librarians how this used to work.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Research tips & tricks, Tips and tricks:
Are you looking for an article from the Coburg Leader in 2010? Want the week’s top stories read out to you while you prep dinner? How can you search for articles about affordable housing across many trusted Australian news sources all at once? For all these answers and more, read on to today’s online collection spotlight.
Collection Care, Preservation, Preventive conservation:
The Saunders Family Archive offers an enticing glimpse into the ordinary lives of a working-class family in Melbourne from the early 20th century. Alongside papers and photographs sits an array of objects and textiles that were saved and reused many times over as was befitting of the times. In this blog, the Preservation team shares insights into the work involved in rehousing this extraordinary collection.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories:
Explore the Library’s latest trial databases, which include early published works from the British Isles and Europe, and primary resources from the Second World War.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
Interested in exploring the music of the Baroque era but don’t know where to start? Looking for a curated playlist to listen to while you study or work? Hoping to understand more about a key piece of classical music? Naxos Music Library is a music streaming database that features much more than just audio.
In 1867 Australia hosted our first Royal visitor. Prince Alfred toured the country, and toured our Library! It was a tumultuous time. Sectarian murders, riots, tragedy and finally an attempted assassination punctuated the Prince’s journey. His resilience in the face of these events won him great respect across the Australian colonies.
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
With the dominance of air travel in the twenty-first century, it’s easy to forget what a massive role ships, ports and piers played in the development and history of Melbourne. We look at the historic evolution of piers at the Port of Melbourne.
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
Horseracing is an industry strongly associated with Melbourne, but it took almost three years after colonial settlement for the first horse race to be held. Like many of today’s horse racing carnivals, the reporting was more focused on what happened off the racetrack than on it.
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.
