Meet Gwenda Robb, Tour Guide

Meet Gwenda Robb, Tour Guide

May 22, 2020

Our stories:

It’s National Volunteer Week, so we’re celebrating all the dedicated, talented and inspiring people who volunteer with State Library Victoria, and we want you to meet some of them! Today… Read More ›

Meet Eril Wangerek, Collections Volunteer

Meet Eril Wangerek, Collections Volunteer

May 21, 2020

Our stories:

It’s National Volunteer Week, so we’re celebrating all the dedicated, talented and inspiring people who volunteer with State Library Victoria, and we want you to meet some of them! Eril… Read More ›

Meet Sally Hall, Collections Volunteer

Meet Sally Hall, Collections Volunteer

May 20, 2020

Our stories:

It’s National Volunteer Week, so we’re celebrating all the dedicated, talented and inspiring people who volunteer with State Library Victoria, and we want you to meet some of them! Sally… Read More ›

Catalogue upgrade: Introducing some new features

Catalogue upgrade: Introducing some new features

May 19, 2020

Ask a librarian, Research tips, Tips and tricks:

Save, share and export multiple results and search curated newspaper collections using new features recently added to the Library catalogue.  Save, share and export Found a collection of items in… Read More ›

Meet Renata Ware, Volunteer Greeter

Meet Renata Ware, Volunteer Greeter

May 19, 2020

Our stories:

It’s National Volunteer Week, and we want you to meet some of the amazing and inspiring people who volunteer with us! Today, we’re introducing Renata Ware, who works as a… Read More ›

The day the Sea Fury came to visit

The day the Sea Fury came to visit

May 18, 2020

Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:

It’s not every day that you see an aeroplane parked outside the Library, but this was the sight that greeted Victorians when they came to visit in 1953.

Olivia Muscat, Volunteer Storyteller

Meet Olivia Muscat, Volunteer Storyteller

May 18, 2020

About us, News, Our stories:

Meet Olivia Muscat, writer, theatre critic, disability advocate,
educator, 2020 recipient of the Lesley Hall scholarship and Family
Programs volunteer!

Player payments and the great bribery scandal

Player payments and the great bribery scandal

May 5, 2020

Sport, Such was life:

In 1900, the VFL prohibited player payments. The upshot? Shady dealings with players, investigations, suspensions- and a pay rise.

The marvellous and macabre Waxworks, part two: sideshow magic and human curiosities

The marvellous and macabre Waxworks, part two: sideshow magic and human curiosities

May 4, 2020

Social life & customs, Such was life:

Part two of the story of the Melbourne Waxworks, featuring a water nymph, the Chinese giant and the ‘half lady’ illusion.

Quarantine and the Little Red Bluff

Quarantine and the Little Red Bluff

April 27, 2020

Such was life:

Dr Barry Cotter (Melbourne’s first medical doctor) was preparing to leave for an extended tour of Europe when, in April 1840: On the eve of his departure the ship Glen… Read More ›

Such was life

Photographic portrait by Richard Beck of Ailsa O’Connor (1921-1980), political activist, painter, sculptor, author and teacher.

Ailsa O’Connor: highlights of a life of socialist activism, feminism and art

March 23, 2026 2 comments

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.

Arts

Photographic portrait by Richard Beck of Ailsa O’Connor (1921-1980), political activist, painter, sculptor, author and teacher.

Ailsa O’Connor: highlights of a life of socialist activism, feminism and art

March 23, 2026 2 comments

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.