In the past two weeks a couple of my now regular blog readers asked me “what’s the main source for your research?” So this week I thought I’d share my #1 go to place. I’m excluding the numerous online sources as they’re worth a blog or two on their own and am instead focussing on the physical.
The #1 place for those of us in Victoria is the State Library of Victoria (SLV.) It is very rare that this place lets me down. (It has happened, but only once…) For those not from Victoria, each state of Australia has a research library and for those of you in New South Wales yours is equally fantastic as well having spent a couple of days there recently with a few more to go. I haven’t been to the one in Tasmania as yet but I hope I will be there very soon.
The SLV is on the corner of Swanston and Latrobe Streets in the Melbourne CBD and is entered from Swanston Street. You cannot miss it because, well, it’s simply huge and takes up the entire block. There are a number of statues out front, unsurprisingly one of Governor La Trobe, the first Governor of Victoria in 1851 (following separation from New South Wales) after whom the main and most spectacular room in the library is named.
The library is made up of a number of “rooms.” The primary ones that I use are:
Family History and Newpapers
As the name suggests here’s where they keep the genealogy related materials – books, records, microfiche, CDs, etc. They also have current newspapers from across Australia here and you can always request ones from the past to be brought out of storage for you as well.
La Trobe Reading Room
Here’s what I think is the best place for reading and research in the library. It’s under the dome and full of the old style wooden desks and chairs. The walls of the room are lined with a lot of the popular books in use. This is where you find Australian History volumes so I know this one pretty well now.
Redmond Barry Reading Room
This is the other main reading room in the Library and very popular with school and university students.
Heritage Collections Reading Room
This one’s a little tucked away and, unlike the others, not open on a walk-in basis. This is the room you use when you want to look at something from the manuscripts, heritage, or rare books collections. This is also where they bring old newspapers to for your reading if you request them from storage. When I wrote “Gold on Mercer’s Hill” I spent a fair bit of time in this room.
So while there’s a lot of books in the various reading rooms, the amazing fact is that what’s on display is only a small part of the collection that is held. Underneath the library and offsite in storage are 100s of thousands of items not on display. I’ve been told that there’s over 12km of shelving under the library where they keep “the good stuff.” And some of it is fantastic and rare. The collection comprises all sorts of books, pamphlets, maps, diagrams, manuscripts, papers, audio and video recordings, pictures, photographs, newspapers and more. It is a wonderful treasure-trove of history. The starting point for all of this is the online catalogue that is very user friendly. You can find it at << url >> and you don’t need to be a library card holder (member) unless you want to reserve something or have it brought out of storage.
A key point in understanding the library is that it’s Victoria’s primary research library. As such it is not a lending library, i.e. you cannot take anything home with you. What this means to the serious researcher is that when you go you need to do your work there and that’s where the reading rooms come in to play. Try sitting in the La Trobe room in one of the lovely wooden chairs with the old desks and just enjoy yourself.
Inside the library they also have some displays, things that quite frankly you’d expect in a museum. This includes art works and a number of displays – located in various places throughout. On the upper floors of the La Trobe dome you’ll find a trip back into the past of Victoria, including Ned Kelly’s complete suit of armor along with a great video and digital display. The display is fabulous and an absolute must not only for the out-of-town visitor but for the Melbournian. Best of all it’s absolutely free.
So, if it’s family history (genealogy), lands, newspapers, history or pretty much anything that you won’t have at home, at school or in your local library - the SLV is the place to go. Better still is the online catalogue and access to the digital archives that you can access from anywhere. The library also has a nice café (Mr Tulk) and a bookstore (Readings.)
You can access the library off Swanston Street by tram, through the Melbourne Central Trains over the road, and by foot. As Molly would say, “do yourself a favor” and get down there and take a look because history is all around us.
Before I sign off this week. This coming Monday, 25 April is an important one to all of us Australians and New Zealanders. Lest we forget.
Until next time.
CG
A couple of links:
