Online Collection Spotlight: American Music

Online Collection Spotlight: American Music

February 6, 2026

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, country music, Music, Our stories:

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.

Redmond Barry statue in front of the State Library Victoria

Our 170th anniversary

February 4, 2026

Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:

On 11 February our Library celebrates our 170th anniversary. While based on the world’s great libraries, our Library was also a radical departure. Ours was a library with unrestricted access to anyone over 14, with every book available to view. The primary driver of the Library was Redmond Barry. While generally remembered as the judge at the Ned Kelly trial, Redmond Barry’s pioneering contribution to Melbourne’s cultural and educational heritage is unsurpassed

‘… a shell in which we can hear the sound of a withdrawing sea’: Encountering Gustav Mahler at State Library Victoria

‘… a shell in which we can hear the sound of a withdrawing sea’: Encountering Gustav Mahler at State Library Victoria

January 2, 2026

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories:

A query about a performance of Gustav Mahler’s The Song of the Earth (Das Lied von der Erde) leads librarian Walter Struve on an evocative journey into the Library’s rich Theatre Programmes Collection.

Online Collection Spotlight: Bloomsbury Historic Dress in Detail

Online Collection Spotlight: Bloomsbury Historic Dress in Detail

December 23, 2025

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Fashion, Our stories, Such was life:

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.

Feasts of Christmas past

Feasts of Christmas past

December 15, 2025

Ask a librarian, Food, Social life & customs, Victorian history:

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.

Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios

Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios

December 8, 2025

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories, Painting, Photography, Recently digitised, Victorian history, Visual arts:

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.

The visibility of disability

The visibility of disability

December 3, 2025

Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:

Today’s blog marks International Day of People With Disability. In recognition, we have chosen some images from our Pictures collection that represent disability from the 19th century to today.

Herbert Edward Elton Hayes: uncovering a local connection

Herbert Edward Elton Hayes: uncovering a local connection

December 1, 2025

Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:

After uncovering a local connection to World War 1 nurse, Kathleen Gawler, Librarian Daniel Giddens discovered the intriguing story of her husband, Reverend Herbert Edward Elton Hayes, a complex man, who was much more than his conviction for heresy, a period that has come to define him.

She’s so pretty: the story of Pretty Sally’s Hill

She’s so pretty: the story of Pretty Sally’s Hill

November 19, 2025

Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:

For a few short years in the 1840s a woman named Sarah Smith made a little extra money offering accommodation and hospitality to travellers between Sydney and the yet-to-be declared Colony of Victoria. With a roof, a meal and perhaps a strong drink or two, Sarah’s House or Pretty Sally’s, as it came to be known, left a lasting mark on the Australian landscape.

Online Collection Spotlight: Oxford Academic Books

Online Collection Spotlight: Oxford Academic Books

November 13, 2025

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:

Do you want to do a deep dive into medical folklore? Have you ever wondered why people make fun of Jazz? What were the building blocks of modern horror movies? Have you wondered why Asperger’s syndrome was removed from the DSM? Or thought about the social impact of the human papillomavirus vaccine? Do you need a primer on literary theory? On climate hazards? On planetary systems? And just what did Herman Melville’s short stories reveal about his thoughts on slavery? Oxford Academic has you covered.

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.