Researching your World War II ancestors
Family matters, Research tips & tricks:
September 2 marks the 80th anniversary of the official end of World War II. This is a time when people may reflect on the experiences of the service men and… Read More ›
Subverting Japanese radio propaganda during World War II: Charles Cousens and Iva Toguri
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.
Cracking the narrative: pruning the misinformation from your family tree
Family matters, Research tips & tricks:
Is misinformation sinking its tendrils into your family tree? Are dates not lining up, people aren’t where they should be, or maybe there’s no record of Grandma Joan before the age of 25? Our Family History Librarians are here to help you separate fact from fiction in your lineage, and give you some tips to strengthen your research.
Online Collection Spotlight: History of Disabilities: Disabilities in Society, Seventeenth to Twentieth Century
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
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
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
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
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
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.
An historic Antarctic landing
Our stories, Victorian history:
In the 1880s Melbourne’s men of science formed a committee to revive interest in Antarctic exploration. They canvassed the colonies and the world in attempts to raise an expedition. Ultimately unsuccessful, they did though inspire the first publicly recorded landing on the Antarctic continent by Henrik Bull and the crew of his whaling expedition.
Such was life
Reminiscences from 1965
In 1965, some older Victorians wrote short essays for a competition, recalling their early lives.
Arts
Ailsa O’Connor: highlights of a life of socialist activism, feminism and art
Ailsa O’Connor (1921-1980) was a political activist, painter, sculptor, author and teacher. Throughout her art career she was a member of the Communist Party and associated with the Socialist Realist Group.
