The Damian Smith Archive

The Damian Smith Archive

June 9, 2022

Rare Books & Arts:

A healthy art community relies on figures that move quickly between commissions, code-switch through high and colloquial cultures, and translate between foreign lands. The record of Damian Smith’s career is the archive of one such figure.

Online Collection Spotlight: Archives Unbound

Online Collection Spotlight: Archives Unbound

June 9, 2022

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:

It’s International Archives Day and what better way to celebrate than to check out our database Archives Unbound! Explore women’s history, LGBTIQ+ activism and even Shakespeare’s plays. You’ll discover a renewed appreciation for archives and their role in history.

Collection connections: romance & a rock poster 

Collection connections: romance & a rock poster 

June 7, 2022

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Reference desk:

We take a look at a concert poster from our collection and explore the meaning it holds for one of our Library members

From flappers to fast fashion: 100 years of style in Melbourne

From flappers to fast fashion: 100 years of style in Melbourne

June 4, 2022

Ask a librarian, Victorian history:

Join us on a journey from the 1920s to now. See what women were wearing across the decades and which trends mark each changing era.

The Chalet, winter, Mt. Buffalo 9Vic.) [1910]

Mount Buffalo Chalet: the island in the sky

June 1, 2022

Ask a librarian, Victorian history:

Over 110 years old, picturesque Mount Buffalo Chalet sits atop a plateau in the Mount Buffalo National Park. This grand old lady has provided a leisurely holiday escape for almost one hundred years. Little wonder that for decades, Victorians made the chalet their favourite winter and summer retreat.

The Australian Joint Copying Project and family history research

The Australian Joint Copying Project and family history research

May 30, 2022

Family matters, Research guides:

Explore these primary source documents for your family history research.

Gas lighting in (Ian Potter) Queens Hall. Charles Nettleton

Let there be light

May 29, 2022

Ask a librarian:

Within months of our Library opening in 1856 gas lighting was installed to allow the Library to stay open in the evenings. However, there were some unforeseen problems, and the gas lights were later replaced by electricity.

Setting the curriculum: the history of Victorian school readers

Setting the curriculum: the history of Victorian school readers

May 28, 2022

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:

To mark the 150th anniversary of public education in Victoria, we take a look at school papers and Victorian school readers. What insights can these texts offer into the social, political and cultural environments of their day?

Graham Berry & the Upper House

Graham Berry & the Upper House

May 26, 2022

Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:

Premier Graham Berry was a giant in the wild politics of 1870s Victoria. His battle with the Legislative Council resulted in mass sackings, freezing of budgets and a journey to London to try and woo the Imperial Government.

Journey through the collection: Georgia Metaxas

Journey through the collection: Georgia Metaxas

May 24, 2022

Collection spotlights, Photography:

Journey through the evocative early works of Greek-Australian photographer Georgia Metaxas, and be drawn into the world of community and performance.

Such was life

Online Collection Spotlight: Bloomsbury Historic Dress in Detail

Online Collection Spotlight: Bloomsbury Historic Dress in Detail

December 23, 2025 0 comments

Watch the wonders of fashion unfold with this informative and visually stunning peak into the history of clothing. This video database, with companion articles, explores historical contexts, materials, and construction methods, enabling you to see how different garments were worn, and the function that each item served.

Arts

Online Collection Spotlight: Bloomsbury Historic Dress in Detail

Online Collection Spotlight: Bloomsbury Historic Dress in Detail

December 23, 2025 0 comments

Watch the wonders of fashion unfold with this informative and visually stunning peak into the history of clothing. This video database, with companion articles, explores historical contexts, materials, and construction methods, enabling you to see how different garments were worn, and the function that each item served.