“To be happy, one must rid oneself of prejudice, be virtuous, healthy, and have a capacity for enjoyment and for passion“ – Émilie du Châtelet, Discours sur le bonheur. Le siècle… Read More ›
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:
The 1970s and 80s saw a dramatic change in Melbourne’s restaurant scene. One of the most influential restaurants of this period was Stephanie Alexander’s restaurant, Stephanie’s. Through menus, photographs, recipes, notebooks and more, the Stephanie Alexander collection provides a taste of what it was like to eat at Stephanie’s in its heyday.
Collection, Collection spotlights, Events, Exhibitions:
If you listen to a poem, in any language, you understand it. Why?! Because it speaks the universal language of human emotion.
Collection spotlights, Our stories:
This year in our World of the book exhibition, we celebrate the life and work of the artist Elizabeth Gould with a display including one of three rare original watercolours by Elizabeth from the Library’s collection.
![Family group, ca. 1870 to 1880. Families of five or more children were common in the Victorian era. [H2005.34/2086]](https://7f10fe.state-library-victoria.quantgovsites.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Groupconsistinhofmanwomanandfivechildrencrop-120x120.jpg)
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories:
Overpopulation was a huge social problem in 19th century Britain. Trailblazers like Annie Besant were tireless campaigners for the improvement of living conditions, birth control, and women’s rights. The Malthusian gives us a vivid lens into the living conditions of the poor, and a fascinating insight into the population issues from 1879 to 1921, which laid the groundwork for social reform in the twentieth century.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:
Discover the work of artist Lina Bryans and the modernist art scene in Melbourne.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories:
Farewell to Shirley Hughes, English author and illustrator of beloved children’s books Dogger and the Alfie series.
Our stories, Victorian history:
In late 1901, locals in Kyabram found a common cause in government extravagance. Politician William ‘Iceberg’ Irvine saw an opportunity in aligning with the Kyabram Movement.
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” Ratty, Wind in the Willows. A relic of a time when much of early Melbourne’s leisure and recreational activity revolved around the Birrarung | Yarra river, the Studley Park boathouse is the oldest continually operating boathouse on the Yarra, possibly the oldest in Victoria.
Female writers, forbidden books and a fascinating romp through history: Trialling new Gale databases
February 28, 2022
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Collections, Our stories:
Our latest trial databases are treasure troves of historical material which surface stories of and by traditionally underrepresented and marginalised people. Should these form part of our collection? Let us know what you think.