Ask a librarian, Reference desk, Research tips:
On any given day here at State Library Victoria you may hear librarians wax lyrical about the wonders of Trove. Yet for many library users it can be a bit of a mystery. So what is Trove, how do librarians at State Library Victoria use it and why should you use it, too? (Hint: it’s free!)
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we took a look at a recent acquisition to our collection – a first edition copy of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and Persuasion in a four-volume set.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
Where can I find first-hand accounts of bush nurses working during the 1956 Murray River floods? Who was the first lesbian rights organisation in the US and where can I find their newsletter? And does anyone have a good recipe for sheeps’ head pie anymore? If any of these questions have sparked your interest, the Women’s Studies Archive has got you covered!
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:
The Pictures collection at State Library Victoria contains many gems such as a posters collection of over 6,000 items, including 237 posters from Melbourne’s legendary Pram Factory.
Victorians of yesteryear loved their picnics: despite heavy clothing, horse-drawn transport and no refrigeration, they made treks to the bush to enjoy food and recreation. Enjoy these picnic images from our pictures collections.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
Australian Newspapers Collection (1831-2000) database has images of each page of the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald from when they were first published right up to the end of 2000.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:
Sometimes called ‘bird’s eye view’ maps, isometric maps depict a view ‘from above’. This plan, produced in 1866, shows a remarkable point-in-time layout of Melbourne streets, the Yarra, Port Phillip Bay, and parts of Collingwood and East Melbourne. A closer examination reveals some of the fledging city’s most important social, economic and civic locations and buildings, as well as parks and reserves, including many which remain today.
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
For more than half a century, Vance and Nettie Palmer stood as beacons in the Australian literary landscape. In 1985, on the centenary of their births, the Victorian government established the annual Premier’s Literary Awards in their honour. Of particular note to us at the State Library is that it was here that Vance and Nettie first met.
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
In the mid 1950s, the American craze of drive-in theatres took off in Australia. A night out for the whole family without leaving the car, dressed any old how, chatting, eating, and watching a movie. What’s not to like? By the early 1980s 20 acres of prime land, given over to a drive-in only operating at night, seemed an extravagance. Several drive-ins still survive though, attracting crowds eager for the unique ‘drive-in’ experience.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Social life & customs, Victorian history:
Let’s take a look at a selection of advertising posters used by the Victorian Railways in the 1930s and 1940s
