Collections, People & professions, Such was life, Victorian history:
Madame Weigel’s Journal of Fashion became a staple of Australian life for those interested in being well dressed, well presented, and well informed. This treasure trove has recently been digitised and made available online.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories:
Discover the philosophies and tactics of extremist groups in the 20th century with the Political Extremism and Radicalism database.
Arts & literature, Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
Mary Fortune was the author of the longest running 19th-century crime fiction series published in a periodical and one of the earliest female crime writers in the world.
Our stories, Victorian history:
The AFL is huge business these days, but in 1908 the ninth club to join the competition was a team of students from Melbourne University. The amateur students couldn’t match the growing professionalism of the other clubs, but they did produce stars such as Roy Park.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
This Online Collection Spotlight features the OECD iLibrary. The iLibrary includes a vast collection of high level research into all aspects of policy areas that effect our daily lives and our future.
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
Shipboard journals provide a fascinating insight into the migrant experience, and if we’re lucky they continue once the passenger stepped off the ship onto dry land. When John Askew arrived in Melbourne in 1852, he encountered a bustling city full of gold-diggers and the upwardly mobile. His impressions are both insightful and amusing.
Overview of large map collections that can be found in State Library databases. More than 2000 maps are like hidden treasure, buried in our online collections.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
Through primary sources, the ‘Decolonization: Politics and independence in former colonial and Commonwealth territories’ database, provides an insight into the development of Commonwealth nations and former British colonies in the post-World War II era, as they moved toward self-determination and the development of their own identities.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
State Library Victoria has a collection of more than 4000 children’s books in our browsing collection, all of which are available in the Pauline Gandel Children’s Quarter. The collection spans from durable board books for the youngest learners to engaging graphic novels and detailed non-fiction for older children. With so many books to view we have created a collection discovery page to help families find the right book for them.
Ask a librarian, Family matters, Our stories, Victorian history:
Researchers visiting the Library are often dismayed when they discover that prior to 2001, there are no surviving census returns for individuals in the Colony of Victoria. What were the reasons behind the destruction of our census records? And how did our ‘genies’ save the day?
