State Library Victoria facts for kids
Quick facts for kids State Library Victoria |
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| State Library Victoria | |
| Country | Australia |
| Established | 1854 |
| Location | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°48′35″S 144°57′53″E / 37.809801°S 144.964787°E |
| Collection | |
| Size | 3,892,523 collection items electronically registered |
| Legal deposit | Legal deposit library for the State of Victoria |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Free to access |
| Population served | 2,113,118 |
| Members | 87,073 |
| Other information | |
| Staff | 311 FTE |
The State Library Victoria (also called SLV) is a super important library in Victoria, Australia. It's located right in the heart of Melbourne. This amazing place started way back in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library. That makes it Australia's oldest public library! It was also one of the very first free libraries in the whole world.
Today, it's Australia's busiest public library. In fact, it's one of the busiest libraries on Earth! The library has always been in the same spot in Melbourne's city center. It now covers a whole city block.
The library holds over five million items. This includes not just books, but also old letters, paintings, maps, photos, and newspapers. They have a special focus on things from Victoria. You can find diaries from Melbourne's founders, John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner. There are also items from explorer James Cook. And guess what? You can even see Ned Kelly's famous armor and his original Jerilderie Letter!
Contents
History of the Library: A Journey Through Time
How the Library Began in the 1800s
In 1853, people decided to build a library, museum, and art gallery all together. This idea came from Governor of Victoria Charles La Trobe and Sir Redmond Barry. They held a competition to find an architect. Joseph Reed won, and his company designed most of the library's later parts. They also designed other famous buildings in Melbourne.
On July 3, 1854, the new Governor, Sir Charles Hotham, laid the first stone. This was for both the library and the University of Melbourne. The first part of the library opened on February 11, 1856. It had 3,800 books chosen by Mr. Justice Barry. Augustus H. Tulk became the first librarian a few months later. The Melbourne Public Library was one of the first free libraries. Anyone over 14 could visit, as long as their hands were clean!
The library buildings grew over many years. They housed library spaces, art galleries, and museum displays. By 1992, the library filled the entire city block. In 1860, Joseph Reed planned a huge complex. It included a domed section for the museum and gallery. This plan guided building for the next 100 years.
The next part, the Queen's Reading Room, opened in 1859. The northern part was finished in 1864. But the grand entrance with columns wasn't built until 1870.
In 1866, some temporary halls were built behind the main wing. From 1870, these housed the Industrial & Technological Museum. A famous writer, Marcus Clarke, worked at the library from 1870 to 1881.
In 1869, a law created one group to run the Public Library, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), and the National Museum of Victoria.
The McArthur Gallery was built in 1875 for the NGV. Barry Hall, now home to the Wheeler Centre, was built in 1886. The Buvelot Gallery, now the Arts Reading Room, opened in 1887.
By 1892, the library expanded a lot. The Cowen Gallery and Victoria Gallery opened for the NGV. A Lending Library also opened. The Redmond Barry Reading Room was built for the Industrial & Technological Museum. In 1899, the National Museum took it over. They renamed it McCoy Hall.
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The Ian Potter Queen's Hall was the library's first reading room. It opened in 1856 and now holds Australian books.
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Joseph Reed's big plan for the Library, Museum, and Gallery. This drawing is from 1860.
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The McArthur Gallery opened in 1875 for the National Gallery of Victoria. It is now the Newspaper & Family History Reading Room.
Big Changes in the 1900s
In 1909, many old exhibition buildings were removed. Work began on the library's famous Domed Reading Room. It opened in 1913 and was designed by the same company that Joseph Reed started. This new reading room meant Queen's Hall was used less. So, in 1915, Queen's Hall became home to the Industrial & Technological Museum again.
The Domed Reading Room was updated and reopened in 2003. It was renamed the La Trobe Reading Room. The dome's skylights, which had been covered since 1959, were uncovered again.
More parts of the library opened in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. These included the South Rotunda (1928) and North Rotunda (1940).
In 1944, the library, art gallery, and museums became separate organizations. But they still shared the same building.
In 1959, the dome's skylights were covered with copper. This was because of water leaks. It made the reading room quite dim for many years.
In 1963, a planetarium was built in a courtyard. This space is now the Pauline Gandel Children's Quarter.
The La Trobe Library opened in 1965. It held the library's Australian collections.
The National Gallery of Victoria moved to a new building in 1968. This meant the Industrial & Technological Museum moved out of Queen's Hall. Queen's Hall then became a library reading room again.
The Lending Library closed in 1971. Melbourne's city center didn't have a public lending library again until 2004.
Public Record Office Victoria used to be part of the library. In 1973, it became a separate state archive.
In 1973, work started on Museum station. It opened in 1981, giving easy train access to the library. The National Museum and Science Museum merged in 1983. They filled the Russell Street end of the site. Parts of this museum later moved to other locations.
The library had big renovations between 1990 and 2004. This project cost about A$200 million.
In the 1990s, more courtyards were covered with glass. These became new reading rooms.
The NGV returned to the library building from 1999 to 2002. This was while its St Kilda Road building was being renovated.
The main reading room closed in 1999 for renovations. This is when the skylights were uncovered again.
The Library in the 2000s
New exhibition spaces opened between 2001 and 2003. These show permanent exhibitions like The Mirror of the World: Books and Ideas. They also display items from the Pictures Collection. Thanks to these changes, State Library Victoria is now one of the biggest exhibiting libraries in the world.
The La Trobe Reading Room reopened in 2003. Also, the last dome-side courtyards were enclosed. They became the Arts Reading Room and Experimedia.
In February 2010, a part of the library on Little Lonsdale Street reopened. It became the Wheeler Centre, a place for writers and ideas.
In 2015, the library started a big project called Vision 2020. It cost A$88.1 million. The goal was to update public spaces and programs. The government gave A$55.4 million for this. It included restoring Queen's Hall and creating a rooftop garden. A special space for children and young people was also made. This project opened up 40 percent more of the building to the public. The library also raised A$27 million from donations. In September 2018, the main Swanston Street entrance closed temporarily. New entrances on Russell Street and La Trobe Street were used instead.
The Vision 2020 project finished in December 2019. Many spaces that had been empty for almost 20 years were open to the public again.
In 2024, the library had a small issue. They canceled some online writing workshops for teenagers. The official reason was a "child and cultural safety review."
Library Forecourt: A Place to Relax and Gather
The grassy area in front of the library on Swanston Street is called the forecourt. It's a popular spot for people to eat lunch. Students from nearby RMIT University also enjoy it. This area used to have fences. But in 1939, the fences were removed, and paths were added.
The forecourt has several statues. A statue of Sir Redmond Barry was placed on the main stairs in 1887. On either side of the entrance are Saint George and the Dragon (1889) and Jeanne d'Arc (1907). A statue of Charles La Trobe was added in 2006.
In 2012, the library received the Dromkeen Collection. This collection includes sculptures of children's book characters. You can find some of these sculptures in the forecourt.
The forecourt is also often used for rallies and protests.
Inside the Library: Amazing Reading Rooms and Spaces
The Dome: La Trobe Reading Room
The famous Domed Reading Room opened in 1913. It was designed by Norman G. Peebles. This huge, eight-sided room is 34.75 meters wide and tall. Its central opening, called an oculus, is almost 5 meters wide. When it was built, it was the largest dome in the world! It was designed to hold over a million books and 600 readers. Today, it can hold 32,000 books and 320 readers.
In 2003, this area was renamed the La Trobe Reading Room. It now holds the library's collection of Australian items. The Dome Gallery on Level 4 has a free exhibition called "World of the Book." Level 6 offers great views of the reading room below.
The dome area also houses the Victorian Indigenous Research Centre.
The Ian Potter Queen's Hall: A Historic Space
The middle part of the Ian Potter Queen's Hall opened in 1856. It was the library's first reading room. After the bigger Domed Reading Room opened in 1913, Queen's Hall was used less. From 1915 to 1969, it housed the Industrial and Technological Museum. It became a library reading room again after that. It closed in 2003 for repairs. After being renovated, it reopened in 2019. Now it's a study space for young adults. It also hosts special events after hours.
Redmond Barry Reading Room: Modern Collections
This reading room is at the eastern end of the library. It holds the library's newest books, magazines, and journals. The upper level has large books and more study desks. It was built in 1893 for the Industrial and Technological Museum. From 1899 to 1997, it was home to the National Museum of Victoria. During that time, it was known as McCoy Hall.
Heritage Collections Reading Room: Special Items
This room is for viewing special historical items from the library's collection. You need an appointment to visit most collections here. However, you can view copies of old Melbourne maps without an appointment. The room has beautiful old lamps and detailed walls.
Arts Reading Room: For Creative Minds
The library has an amazing collection about art, music, and performing arts. The Arts Reading Room is a quiet place to study. It has equipment to access the library's many audio and video resources.
Newspaper and Family History Reading Rooms: Discover Your Past
This room has a huge collection of Victorian newspapers on microfilm. You can also find some newspapers from other states. Modern machines let you save newspaper images to a USB stick. Current Victorian newspapers are available to read. The room also has many resources for researching your family history. Librarians are there to help you with your research. This room used to be called the McArthur Gallery.
Other Cool Spaces
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The library has many other public areas. These include the Swanston Street Welcome Zone, The Quad (with StartSpace, Conversation Quarter, Create Quarter, Ideas Quarter, and Pauline Gandel Children's Quarter), Isabella Fraser Room, Cowen Gallery, South Rotunda, North Rotunda, Conference Centre, Village Roadshow Theatrette, Keith Murdoch Gallery, Hansen Hall, Victoria Gallery, and Russell Street Welcome Zone. The Wheeler Centre is also part of the building and is open to everyone.
What the Library Offers: Collections and Services
Exhibitions: See Amazing Things
The library has a permanent exhibition called World of the Book. It shows over 300 rare and important items from the library's collection. These items celebrate how special books are in our culture. The library also has special exhibitions. These feature items from its own collection and things borrowed from other places.
In 2022-23, The Rest Is Up To You: Melbourne Fringe Festival 1982-2042 was the library's most popular exhibition ever. It showed recordings and items from the Melbourne Fringe archive. In 2023, MIRROR: New views on photography was the first exhibition in Australia to include Auslan (sign language) throughout. It showed over 140 photos from the collection.
In October 2023, the library opened Luminous: A thousand years of Hebrew manuscripts. This exhibition showed important Hebrew manuscripts from around the world. It was part of a series about the importance of books and writing in different cultures.
The library's first online-only exhibition launched in 2023. Beyond the Book: A journey through the Treasures of the Emmerson Collection used cool technology. It digitally captured rare books about the English Civil War in amazing detail.
Events: Fun Things to Do
The library's spaces are often used for big cultural events. These include the Melbourne Writers Festival, Melbourne Fashion Week, and Blak & Bright Literary Festival.
Ask a Librarian: Get Help with Your Questions
State Library Victoria offers a free service called Ask a Librarian. You can get help with research questions, including family history, both at the library and online.
eResources: Digital Books and More
Many of the library's online resources can be used from home. You just need to be a registered State Library Access member. These resources include magazines, journals, and newspaper archives. There are also thousands of eBooks in the library's collection.
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Photographs: A Visual History
The library has over 1.2 million photographs! Many of these have been digitized. Images that are no longer protected by copyright can be downloaded for free.
The La Trobe Journal: Stories from Victoria
This journal started in 1968. It shares interesting stories about the library's Australian collection. It is now published once a year by State Library Victoria.
Chess Collection: For Game Lovers
The library has a large collection of items about chess. It includes items from the Anderson Chess Collection, one of the biggest in the world. The collection has many books and magazines about chess. There are also game tables with chessboards and pieces. Some glass cabinets show historical chess items. In 2019, the chess collection moved to the renovated Ian Potter Queen's Hall.
National eDeposit (NED): Digital Books for Everyone
State Library Victoria is part of a group called National and State Libraries Australia. They worked together to create the national edeposit (NED) system. This system lets publishers from all over Australia upload electronic books and other publications. These publications can then be accessed online through Trove. This helps make sure that digital works are saved and available for everyone.
Gallery
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The library looks beautiful at night.
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A statue of Redmond Barry, who helped start the library.
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A stained glass window showing William Shakespeare, made in 1862.
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Architectural Fragment, a sculpture outside the library since 1993.
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A close-up of William Strutt's painting Black Thursday, February 6th, from 1864.
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Ned Kelly's famous armor.
See also
- Museums Victoria
- National Gallery of Victoria
- Architecture of Melbourne
- Victorian architecture
