State Library Victoria

Online Collection Spotlight: Early English books online

September 19, 2025

Arts & literature, Collection spotlights:

Proquest’s Early English Books Online database features page images of almost every work printed in the British Isles and North America, as well as works in English printed elsewhere, from 1470-1700. More than 200 libraries worldwide have contributed to this comprehensive database, which covers literature, art, architecture, philosophy, religion, politics, history and linguistics. The collection has everything from the first book printed in English through to the ages of Spenser, Shakespeare and the English Civil War.

Recently digitised: playbills from the Coppin Collection

September 12, 2025

Collection, Digitisation, Performing Arts, Recently digitised, Social life & customs, Theatre:

George Selth Coppin, an indefatigable powerhouse, was responsible for much of the popular culture that entertained theatre going audiences in the second half of the 19th century. State Library Victoria has recently digitised more than 1200 theatre playbills from its comprehensive Coppin Collection – a highly significant archive of theatrical history.

Slums of Melbourne: Dudley Flats

September 8, 2025

Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:

Dudley Flats was a slum that emerged on the West Melbourne swamp during the early years of the Great Depression. Residents of the Flats were known for their resourcefulness, fashioning makeshift houses – known colloquially as ‘Dudley mansions’ – out of refuse scavenged from the nearby tip.

Subverting Japanese radio propaganda during World War II: Charles Cousens and Iva Toguri

August 15, 2025

Ask a librarian, Victorian history:

Charles Cousens and Iva Toguri endured an unusual fate during World War II: they were forced to broadcast propaganda for the Japanese from Radio Tokyo. With amazing energy and creativity, they produced their own program, ‘Zero Hour’, which aimed to undermine the propaganda messages and even entertain the allied troops. After the war, they were both accused of treason.

Online Collection Spotlight: History of Disabilities: Disabilities in Society, Seventeenth to Twentieth Century

August 8, 2025

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:

Through five collections, the ‘History of Disabilities’ database provides an insight into how society viewed disability and difference from the seventeenth century through to today. While some of the practices and terminology may no longer be acceptable, inclusion of challenging content is important to understand how the landscape has changed over time.

Finding Florrie

August 3, 2025

Ask a librarian, Family matters, Our stories, Victorian history:

When librarian Sarah Matthews stumbled across a female publican in her family tree, she couldn’t resist investigating. In this blog, Sarah explains how the library’s collection supported her research, and shares some fascinating findings from her own family’s archive.

A Library Week look at our favourite photographs

August 3, 2025

Our stories, Victorian history:

It is Library week and some or our librarians have picked some favourite photographs from our collections. Our collection of images is varied, eclectic and endlessly fascinating and many have been digitised and are often available to download as high resolution TIFF files

‘Break up that cold!’ with historic Victorian winter tonics

July 29, 2025

Ask a librarian, Health, Such was life, Victorian history, Visual arts:

Let’s explore the advertising history of Victorian winter tonics that were promoted through captivating campaigns, featuring everything from racing cars to bombing planes and involving everyone from VFL footballers to Indian Maharajas!

‘By the time I found my voice to speak…’: Leslie Feinberg’s Stone butch blues

July 25, 2025

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories, Rare Books & Arts:

To celebrate Trans Awareness Month 2025, we turn our attention to one of the fascinating volumes in State Library Victoria’s Rare Books Collection: Leslie Feinberg’s ‘Stone butch blues.’ The book brings with it stories of struggle — both within and beyond it’s pages — along with questions about control, artistic ethics and the ways we find (and too often don’t find) the stories we seek: stories of people like us.

Wikimedians-in-residence

July 25, 2025

People & professions, Victorian history:

The Library has hosted two Wikimedians this year as they worked on improving the visibility of Australian feminist activists, organisations, and movements.

Blog

Our stories