It’s Education Week this week – the perfect time to share the Library’s work in education and learning. As Victoria’s home of knowledge and ideas, we offer a suite of primary and secondary education programs developed by professionals and aligned to the curriculum. Our team guides students to develop critical thinking and creative research skills as they explore the Library’s expansive collection within an inspiring heritage setting. Our programs aim to foster curiosity and a love of learning as they tap into history at the source.
Students as early as Foundation level are introduced to history fundamentals through discovering the lives of kids in the past, following the paths of great explorers or using digital storytelling to document artefacts. The Library’s vast range of primary sources provides students an opportunity to explore early settlement, colonial life and stories of significant Victorians, including that of the infamous Ned Kelly. While secondary students have the opportunity to uncover WWI stories to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of the Great War, generating questions for historical inquiry and learning powerful research techniques.
A visit to the Library’s Mirror of the world exhibition is an opportunity for students to foster a love for print, trace history through our most significant and rare books or to try their hand at medieval calligraphy. A guided tour of The changing face of Victoria exhibition provides an opportunity to pose questions to develop an understanding of the impact of early settlement in Victoria.
Ultimately, we aim to support students in fostering a lifelong connection with the Library, whether by honing their research skills, deepening their understanding of the State Library’s collection and services, or even through the process of making their own book. As well as onsite visits, ergo, our satellite website, provides both students and teachers with additional curated content, study support, and activities to complement units of work.
The Library also offers a range of development opportunities for teachers and librarians and a host of free online resources.