Digitising and cataloguing 11,000 works on paper

Digitising and cataloguing 11,000 works on paper

December 1, 2017

Collection, Our stories:

Recently the Library finished digitising 11,000 works from the collection – the result of a complex combination of research, cataloguing, scanning and photography before the works finally appear online.

Winning artworks unveiled as State Library Victoria and Redbubble create art history

Winning artworks unveiled as State Library Victoria and Redbubble create art history

December 1, 2017

News:

State Library Victoria partnered with global creative marketplace Redbubble in the unique art initiative to open the Library’s vast digital collection to more people, and encourage them to explore it.

The art of shadows: Andrew Macredie’s silhouettes

The art of shadows: Andrew Macredie’s silhouettes

December 1, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

In the 1850’s, cartoonist and illustrator Andrew Macredie created two volumes of beautiful silhouettes depicting his Banyenong neighbours, local pastoralists and their wives.

Erica Wagner, 2017 Dromkeen Medal winner, and Megan Daley, 2017 Dromkeen Librarian’s Award winner.

Erica Wagner Awarded the Dromkeen Medal For Children’s Literature

November 30, 2017

News:

State Library Victoria today awarded the 2017 Dromkeen Medal to esteemed editor and publisher Erica Wagner.

Cropped image of Disarmament Sunday, Yarra Park, Sunday 6 November 1921 / Photographer: unknown / Source: Records of the Women’s International
League for Peace and Freedom Collection, State Library Victoria

Accessible, intuitive, powerful digital

November 29, 2017

Our stories:

In Towards a Theory of Digital Preservation, Moore states that ‘a preservation environment manages communication from the past while communicating with the future’ (2008, 63). This simple statement captures the essence of what all collecting institutions have been doing with their physical collections care for decades, and the challenge of how we need to approach caring for our growing digital collections.

Gordian knot

Gordian Knot tapestry gifted to State Library Victoria

November 29, 2017

News:

UK artist and Turner Prize recipient, Keith Tyson’s Gordian Knot Tapestry has been gifted to the State Library of Victoria by Elisabeth Murdoch.

Portrait of Mme de Staël, Marie Eléonore Godefroid

Madame de Staël, liberal thinker and writer of the French revolutionary and Napoleonic periods

November 28, 2017

Our stories:

Madame de Staël was one of the most fascinating, intelligent and influential women of the French revolutionary and Napoleonic years. Brilliant, passionate and intense, she lived life through her passion for politics and love at the highest levels of society.

Alexis Wright

Alexis Wright named Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature

November 27, 2017

News:

The award-winning Indigenous novelist Alexis Wright has been appointed as the Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne.

Two copies of the Sands and McDougall directories.

Seven million insights into the past shape a safer future for Victoria

November 27, 2017

News:

Around 7 million records detailing the history of land use in Victoria are now available online after a major digitisation project, funded by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, was released today at State Library Victoria.

An illuminated Qur’an from the Michael Abbott Collection of Southeast Asian Islamic Manuscripts. Photograph: Emily Keppel

Islamic Bookbinding

November 23, 2017

Collection Care, Conservation, Our stories, Preservation:

While the Western tradition of bookbinding is well represented in the State Library Victoria (SLV) collection, the Library also holds a small but fascinating assortment of manuscripts produced in the Islamic world. A clear understanding of the different materials and structures used in the production of Islamic manuscripts is essential for the Library’s Book Conservators to make informed decisions regarding appropriate methods for preservation, repair and display.

Such was life

Feasts of Christmas past

Feasts of Christmas past

December 15, 2025 0 comments

What are your favourite festive food memories? Have you ever enjoyed Christmas Day lunch on the beach, up a mountain or aboard a ship? Do you remember pineapple glazed ham? Would you like the 100-year-old recipe for walnut stuffing? The State Library’s historic menus, cookbooks, photos and magazines trace Christmas foods from early colonial tables to the festive flavours celebrated by our diverse migrant communities. Dive in and rediscover your favourite Christmas dishes — or find inspiration for this year’s feast.

Arts

Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios

Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios

December 8, 2025 0 comments

John Hinds, an artist, photographer and active ROAR member from 1986 to 1992 spent time capturing artists he personally knew and the spaces that they used to create their works. His photographs captured a unique and often unseen time and place, creating an invaluable insight into the art scene in Melbourne.