Digitised dogs
Celebrating this much loved (and digitised) species on International Dog Day.
Online Collection Spotlight – Decolonization: Politics and Independence in Former Colonial and Commonwealth Territories
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
Through primary sources, the ‘Decolonization: Politics and independence in former colonial and Commonwealth territories’ database, provides an insight into the development of Commonwealth nations and former British colonies in the post-World War II era, as they moved toward self-determination and the development of their own identities.
Collection Discovery: Children’s browsing collection
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
State Library Victoria has a collection of more than 4000 children’s books in our browsing collection, all of which are available in the Pauline Gandel Children’s Quarter. The collection spans from durable board books for the youngest learners to engaging graphic novels and detailed non-fiction for older children. With so many books to view we have created a collection discovery page to help families find the right book for them.
‘It really belongs to you people anyway…’: The story of Ken Pound
Collection, Rare Books & Arts:
To celebrate the Children’s Book Council of Australia Week, we pay tribute to the life of children’s literature collector, Ken Pound, and the collection he has left for us all.
How our ‘genies’ saved the census
Ask a librarian, Family matters, Our stories, Victorian history:
Researchers visiting the Library are often dismayed when they discover that prior to 2001, there are no surviving census returns for individuals in the Colony of Victoria. What were the reasons behind the destruction of our census records? And how did our ‘genies’ save the day?
Wycheproof: heart of Victoria’s wheat belt
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
Wycheproof is a tiny Wimmera town set amid wheat fields and flat plains. It’s famous for the railway line running down the middle of the main street. Mount Wycheproof, the lowest mountain in the world, rises above the town. Wycheproof is no stranger to flood and drought. Join us to learn more.
Online collection spotlight: Batten and Percy Auction Plans
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
As Melbourne began to be subdividen in the late nineteenth century, real estate agents produced maps and advertisements to advertise these land sales. In this blog post we take a closer look at these digitised plans and the sort of information they can reveal.
Houdini visits Australia
Arts & literature, Such was life:
Houdini remains one of the world’s most famous entertainers. He toured Australia in 1910, performing his feats of escapology in Melbourne and Sydney, diving into the Yarra handcuffed and chained, completing the first powered flight in Australia, and becoming embroiled in a dispute with world champion boxer Tommy Burns about the proprietorship of the milk can escape.
Pro Feminis a Feminis: Dr Constance Stone and her hospital ‘for women, run by women’
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
On the 125th anniversary of its opening, we take a look at the story of the Queen Victoria Hospital for Women and its founder, Constance Stone – the first woman to be registered as a doctor in Australia.
Trapped in the snow: Alpine huts and the story of Cleve Cole
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
From as early as 1860, cattlemen built huts on Victoria’s high plain to protect themselves from the elements. In 1937 the Cleve Cole memorial hut was built to honour a lost Victorian skiing pioneer. Read on to discover this piece of Victoria’s alpine history.
Such was life
On the case: Detective Piggott and the development of forensics
The early 1900s was an exciting time to be a detective. Innovations in science and technology, combined with the popularity of detective stories shifted crime fighting away from the seedy world of informers, which had influenced the early years of policing, towards the detection of crime using scientific methods and forensic evidence. Find out about how one Victorian detective contributed to the development of police forensics.
Arts
Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios
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.
