2018 in ebooks

2018 in ebooks

January 18, 2019

Our stories:

Our Ebook collection is growing each month. We currently have over 16,000 ebooks available, including autobiographies, literary fiction, travel guides, young adult non-fiction, health and medicine, home and garden and much more. Explore the titles that were most popular in 2018.

Mrs Stephen Henty, c 1870-80

What about the women? – Part 1

January 10, 2019

Our stories, People & professions, Social life & customs:

Uprooted to join your husband of no more than a couple of years to settle in an unknown place. This is the story of the wives of the Henty brothers, early settlers credited with establishing Victoria’s first European settlement.

Group of men playing volleyball, tents in the Bonegilla Migrant Hostel

A nation of immigrants

January 2, 2019

Our stories:

Learn about the history of immigration in Australia, from the First Fleet and the Gold Rush to WWI and the White Australia policy.

Fighting Jack: Melbourne’s first boxing kangaroo

Fighting Jack: Melbourne’s first boxing kangaroo

December 31, 2018

Social life & customs, Such was life:

What are the origins of our national sporting symbol, the boxing kangaroo?

John Marsden awarded Dromkeen Medal for children’s literature

John Marsden awarded Dromkeen Medal for children’s literature

December 27, 2018

Announcements, News:

John Marsden has received the 2018 Dromkeen medal for his enduring passion for and contribution to Australian children’s literature and children’s education. Find out which books were important to him as a child.

Lyric, [2017]

New listening in Arts: holiday selections

December 20, 2018

Film, Music, Popular music, Rare Books & Arts:

Find out what’s new on the listening post in the Arts reading room. We’re featuring a holiday season selection of festive, popular, opera and film music on CD.

The Myer Christmas windows

The Myer Christmas windows

December 19, 2018

Social life & customs, Such was life:

The Myer Christmas windows hold a special place in the heart of most Melburnians. The brainchild of Fred Asmussen (1913-1974), who began his career at the Myer emporium in 1928 as a ‘wheeler’ boy, moving products from one place to another in wicker cart, the much-loved tradition is now approaching its 70th year.

Illustrated children’s books: Willy Pogany (1882-1955)

Illustrated children’s books: Willy Pogany (1882-1955)

December 18, 2018

Our stories:

Willy Pogany (born Vilmos Andras Pogany) was a prolific contributor during the Golden Age of children’s book illustration, whose career broadened from children’s book illustration to portraiture and set designs for opera and ballet.

2018 in eresources

2018 in eresources

December 13, 2018

Our stories:

Take a look back at the 2018 additions to the Library’s eresources collection, as well as the most popular eresources for the year. Registered Victorian State Library members can access over 267,969 full text eresources – many from home.

Five splendid workers of No 8 General, c 1917,  Traill is second from the right, MS 7975

Jessie Traill: An artist at war

November 29, 2018

Our stories, War:

During World War I Jessie Traill spent five years serving as a British Voluntary Aid Detachment. Her war experience is recorded through photographs, sketches, written accounts and letters to friends.

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: American Music

Online Collection Spotlight: American Music

February 6, 2026 0 comments

From Willie Nelson to Dinah Washington, Muddy Waters to Flaco Jimenez, you can enjoy a journey across the diverse musical roots of America with the Music Online: American Music database. Hosting an astonishing array of talent the collection consists of almost 7000 albums and 120,000 songs.