High standard of entries in Draw a Story competition

High standard of entries in Draw a Story competition

January 17, 2011

Exhibitions, News:

Judges have their work cut out for them as State Library mail bags fill with high quality entries for the Look! Draw a story competition.

New books in Arts, and some heritage swimwear!

New books in Arts, and some heritage swimwear!

January 15, 2011

New books, Rare Books & Arts:

 A new year, and a shelf of new books! Sole mates : cowboy boots and art  by Joseph Traugott The cowboy boot seen as an American icon, a subject for… Read More ›

New FamilySearch website

January 14, 2011

Family matters, Websites:

FamilySearch have launched their new website and it offers some new features designed to make it easier to find your ancestors. I like how you can simply search by name… Read More ›

Summer Sound Beam

Summer Sound Beam

January 13, 2011

Music, Popular music, Rare Books & Arts:

Sound Beam is a regular program highlighting recorded music from the Arts audio-visual collection. It is accessible through headphones at selected workstations in the Arts Reading Room. The current program… Read More ›

Going coastal

Going coastal

January 10, 2011

Rare Books & Arts:

The wind in the ash-tree sounds like surf on the shore at Truro. I will shut my eyes… Edna Saint Vincent Millay:  Memory of Cape Cod (The harp weaver, and other… Read More ›

Finding early Australian census records

Finding early Australian census records

January 6, 2011

Family matters, Research guides, Research tips & tricks:

Finding early Australian census records, using the Library’s new online research guide.

Merry Xmas and happy new year

Merry Xmas and happy new year

December 24, 2010

Rare Books & Arts:

Looking forward to resuming our blogging activities in January!    

“What a dodgy dude” Shane Bourne talks family history

December 24, 2010

Family history events, Family matters:

An underage bride, desertion, divorce, larceny and fraud made for fascinating viewing as Shane Bourne explored the ins and outs of his grandparent’s lives in the latest episode of Who… Read More ›

In the mix

In the mix

December 24, 2010

Music, Rare Books & Arts, Visual arts:

Within the last week, I made my final venture to a university graduate exhibition for the year. It’s a busy season to negotiate, with some institutions staging numerous events over… Read More ›

Family history highlights of 2010

December 20, 2010

Family matters, Uncategorized:

2010 has been a fascinating and vibrant year for genealogy at the State Library of Victoria. Of course, this blog was created this year and it is a fun and… Read More ›

Such was life

Feasts of Christmas past

Feasts of Christmas past

December 15, 2025 0 comments

What are your favourite festive food memories? Have you ever enjoyed Christmas Day lunch on the beach, up a mountain or aboard a ship? Do you remember pineapple glazed ham? Would you like the 100-year-old recipe for walnut stuffing? The State Library’s historic menus, cookbooks, photos and magazines trace Christmas foods from early colonial tables to the festive flavours celebrated by our diverse migrant communities. Dive in and rediscover your favourite Christmas dishes — or find inspiration for this year’s feast.

Arts

Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios

Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios

December 8, 2025 0 comments

John Hinds, an artist, photographer and active ROAR member from 1986 to 1992 spent time capturing artists he personally knew and the spaces that they used to create their works. His photographs captured a unique and often unseen time and place, creating an invaluable insight into the art scene in Melbourne.