Dome to Catacomb
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
Step behind-the-scenes as we tour the Library from Dome to Catacomb. We invite you to explore the layers of history that make up the Library.
Have your say: a new State Library Victoria podcast
News:
Help us design our next podcast (and win a $100 gift card in the process).
Paris is always a good idea
Ask a librarian, Cities & towns, Photography, Reference desk:
Read about the time Paris lost itself in Melbourne. Good thing we found it and gave it back to the world! Here’s the fascinating story of a collection that everyone believed to be lost.
The treasure that is Trove: why reference librarians love it
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!)
Jane Austen – new acquisitions
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.
Online Collection Spotlight: Women’s Studies Archive
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!
Pram Factory theatre posters and the Australian Performance Group
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.
A-Z of Collection Care
Collection Care, Conservation, Digitisation, Preservation, Preventive conservation, Registration and loans, Tips and tricks:
Curious about the effects of light or the stories behind old repairs? Ever wondered why old books yellow over time? Keen for a peek behind the scenes of Library exhibitions? Read on!
Picnic fun
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.
Online Collection Spotlight: Australian Newspapers Collection (1831-2000)
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.
Such was life
On the case: Detective Piggott and the development of forensics
The early 1900s was an exciting time to be a detective. Innovations in science and technology, combined with the popularity of detective stories shifted crime fighting away from the seedy world of informers, which had influenced the early years of policing, towards the detection of crime using scientific methods and forensic evidence. Find out about how one Victorian detective contributed to the development of police forensics.
Arts
Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios
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.
