Top blogs of 2023
News, Our stories, Tips and tricks:
Our incredible Librarians have added more than 50 new posts to the State Library Victoria blog this year. But what posts were most beloved by our audience?
The Jerilderie Letter
People & professions, Such was life:
The Jerilderie Letter is an 8,000 word document by the notorious outlaw Ned Kelly composed in 1879. In the Letter Kelly gives his interpretation of the crimes he was accused of and subsequently convicted for. The origins, content and legacy of this document are explored in this article along with the story of how State Library Victoria acquired this historic and unique document.
The unsolved mystery of the ‘Pride of Australia’
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
In 1991, a seven-kilogram gold nugget was stolen from its display case in a daring raid on the Museum of Victoria. Speculation was rife that it was an inside job, but neither the thieves, nor the gold, were ever found.
Careful work for Howard Arkley’s ‘Casual Works’
Collection Care, Conservation:
State Library Victoria recently acquired 27 works on paper from Howard Arkley’s 1988 exhibition, Casual Works: Working Drawings, Source Material, Doodles, 1974-1987. This material forms part of a larger collection… Read More ›
‘Believe me to be your fellow laborer and friend’: The friendship between Redmond Barry and Augustus Tulk
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
Sir Redmond Barry and Augustus Tulk are significant figures in the story of our State Library, as the first President and Chief Librarian. But what was their relationship like? Their personal correspondence provides an insight.
National Bird Week: Some of our birds
On the eve of the Aussie Bird Count, explore some of the birds in our collections.
Knitting, coding, and the stars: caring for a time-based media artwork in a library collection – Part 2
Collection Care, Conservation, Preventive conservation:
Through a two-part blog, gain a behind-the-scenes insight into ‘Stargazing’, a contemporary multimedia artwork that was the centrepiece of the Library’s Handmade Universe exhibition. Learn about the process of preparing it for display, a preventive conservation treatment undertaken once the artwork was deinstalled, and considerations for its care and future access.
3D modelling for ‘Beyond the Book’, bringing rare books to life by photogrammetry technique
Digitisation, Rare Books & Arts:
Learn more about the meticulous and extensive photogrammetry work undertaken by the Library’s Digital Production team in preparation for the digital exhibition, Beyond the Book: A digital journey through the treasures of the Emmerson Collection.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow: ‘a lost masterpiece’
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
Last year marked the 75th anniversary of the publication in Melbourne of a novel compared by some to Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’, and described as ‘a lost masterpiece’. The novel in question, ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’, was by M. Barnard Eldershaw, the pseudonym adopted by Marjorie Barnard (1897-1987) and Flora Eldershaw (1897-1956) in a remarkable literary partnership that produced novels, short stories, literary criticism, essays and lectures.
Online Collection Spotlight: British Library Newspapers (1732–1950)
The British Library Newspapers database (1732-1950) includes over 240 newspapers sourced from the British Library. Find out more about this incredible resource – the depth and scope of this collection being unparalleled.
Such was life
Strange lights in the sky: The Westall UFO event, 1966
On 6 April 1966, in a quiet suburb south east of Melbourne, reports emerged of something strange in the sky…
Arts
Nineteenth century Victorians
The Etkins collection consists of wonderful portraits of people and places throughout 19th century Victoria.
