Beautiful architectural drawings now online

Beautiful architectural drawings now online

October 13, 2015

Buildings & streets, News, Such was life:

The Melbourne University architecture includes stunning plans of Melbourne houses, which you can now view online.

Curiouser and curiouser

Curiouser and curiouser

October 9, 2015

Collection, Exhibitions, News:

To mark the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s beloved children’s book, the first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is going on display in our free Mirror of the World exhibition.

Abe Nouk, the 25-year-old Victorian champion of the Australian Poetry Slam for 2015.

Two-time Victorian champion slam poet heads to Sydney for national championships

October 8, 2015

News:

This Sunday, Abe Nouk will head to the Sydney Opera House to tread the boards against the best spoken words artists in the country vying for the title of national Australian Poetry Slam champion for 2015.

Tadlow Music, 2012

New Listening in Arts : Paris to St. Petersburg, Mondo Rock to Madder Lake

October 2, 2015

Music, Rare Books & Arts:

Some great new arrivals in popular and rock music, film soundtracks, musical theatre, classical music and opera for your listening pleasure.

Carlton’s bluebirds

Carlton’s bluebirds

September 24, 2015

Sport, Such was life:

In the 1970s and 80s, the Carlton Bluebirds added a touch of glamour and excitement to Carlton home games with their high leg kicks, cheeky dance routines, and dedicated pom pom waving.

The letter that changed history

The letter that changed history

September 23, 2015

Our stories:

On this day 100 years ago, journalist Keith Murdoch penned the Gallipoli letter. The highly critical account, written to Australian Prime Minister Andrew Fisher, is said to have influenced the withdrawal of allied troops from the peninsula.

I’d rather be at home having a cuddle with Gwen!

I’d rather be at home having a cuddle with Gwen!

September 22, 2015

Family matters:

FAMILY HISTORY FEAST BLOG “I’d rather be at home having a cuddle with Gwen!” These are words that Trooper Clarence ‘Clarrie’ Atkinson wrote in his diary while on active military… Read More ›

Catherine the Great by Johann Baptist von Lampi

From Russia with love: treasures from the Hermitage

September 18, 2015

Decorative arts, Painting, Rare Books & Arts, Visual arts:

Melbourne is currently experiencing a little bit of Imperial Russia with the exhibition, Masterpieces From the Hermitage: the Legacy of Catherine the Great, now showing at the National Gallery of Victoria. Here at the State Library of Victoria you can bury yourself in these treasures all year round.

European labour stamps on Australian furniture

European labour stamps on Australian furniture

September 11, 2015

Social life & customs, Such was life:

Why did furniture made in Victoria prior to 1960 have to be stamped ‘European labour only’?

The Ian Potter Foundation donates $10 million to restore iconic Queen’s Hall

The Ian Potter Foundation donates $10 million to restore iconic Queen’s Hall

September 10, 2015

News:

State Library Victoria is delighted to announce that The Ian Potter Foundation will become the lead philanthropic donor for the refurbishment of the Library’s historic Queen’s Hall through a $10 million donation from the Foundation.

Such was life

Online Collection Spotlight: Trench journals and unit magazines of the First World War.

Online Collection Spotlight: Trench journals and unit magazines of the First World War.

April 20, 2026 0 comments

This Online Collection Spotlight examines WWI trench journals created by units from several combatant nation between 1914 and 1919. Produced in camps and battle zones, these handmade publications reveal humour, creativity, and resilience through poems, sketches, notes and stories.

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 9 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.