The Victorian Public Libraries 2030 Strategic Framework found that public libraries may have a greater role to play in community learning, creative work and social connection.  It also suggests that public libraries will help support the brain health of our communities as our population ages.

While that may sound a bit like the libraries of today, how about this? Music recording studios at your local library. It’s just one of the fascinating possibilities put forward.

The report was launched at the State Library today. Read it for yourself here.

Plans for the new Geelong Library

Leigh Masel served as the Library’s President from 1992 to 1995.

Sue Roberts, CEO and State Librarian, said Masel would be remembered as a gentleman, and someone with great depth and knowledge.

‘Mr Masel was highly intelligent, with an analytical approach, who provided considered direction and leadership to the Library. All of the staff join me in sending our sincere condolences to the Masel family.’

This year is a big one. 15 paid and one honorary fellowships with a total value of $242, 500 were awarded – that’s the largest sum ever offered through the program. Included in this number were four Dome Centenary Fellowships awarded this year to commemorate 100 years of the Library’s domed reading room. These fellows will each receive $25,000 to create projects that encourage new visitors to the State Library.

The Redmond Barry Fellowship ($20,000), La Trobe Society Fellowship ($12,500) and Georges Mora Foundation Fellowship ($10,000) are also awarded this year.

Among the 2013-14 creative fellows are authors, biographers, artists, musicians, composers, documentary makers, comic book artists, puppeteers, choral directors, performance poets, and historians – a broad and eclectic group.

CEO and State Librarian Sue Roberts said the fellowships represented a significant investment in creative endeavour in Victoria.

‘In the ten years since it began more than 140 fellows have been supported through the Creative Fellowships program with over $1.5 million provided to fund their research.

This year our fellows range from household names like Kaz Cooke and Mike Brady to people whose work has never been in the public eye – this reflects the diversity of the applications and open nature of the program.

The creative fellows bring our collections to life in new ways. The new work they create – be it books, artwork, music, film or performance – adds to Victoria’s significant cultural offering and enriches us all.

The broad range of fellowships offered this year is only possible through the support of the State Library of Victoria Foundation and fellowships partners, the University of Melbourne, the La Trobe Society and the Georges Mora Foundation. Each organisation understands the value of independent creative scholarship and the important role libraries play in it.’

You can view all the 2013-14 Creative Fellows and their project descriptions here.

Congratulations Creative Fellows. We look forward to seeing you here and sharing your creative journeys with you.

Sir Redmond Barry (1813 – 1880) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer who arrived in Melbourne in late 1839. He subsequently became a founding judge of the Supreme Court and later, in 1860, received a knighthood. In 1853 he was appointed by Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe as Chancellor of the University of Melbourne and Head of the Trustees of the Melbourne Public Library, positions he held for nearly thirty years until his death. During that time he also oversaw the establishment of the Museum of Victoria (now Melbourne Victoria) and the National Gallery of Victoria.

Barry’s commitment to the Library was all-encompassing and his vision was for a ‘great emporium of learning and philosophy, of literature, science, and art’. When its first acquisitions were to be made he advertised for suggestions from the public. Receiving no replies, Barry compiled his own list of books and sent it off to London. On the eve of the Library’s opening, he was busy unpacking and shelving the last books in readiness for the next day’s readers.

Barry had also overseen the architectural competition for the design of the original Library building, which specified the structure must be capable of expansion. The competition was won by Joseph Reed (c.1823 – 1890) whose design met requirements: the building tripled in size within ten years. Reed’s firm designed all future Library extensions up to and including the Domed Reading Room (now the La Trobe Reading Room), which celebrates its centenary this year.

Discover more about Sir Redmond Barry and the creation of the Melbourne Public Library (now State Library of Victoria) in our new exhibition Free, secular & democratic: building the Public Library 1853–1913.

A further suite of events presented by the State Library of Victoria, Supreme Court of Victoria and the University of Melbourne explore the character, impact and legacy of Sir Redmond Barry’s life work in the City of Melbourne and the State of Victoria.

The Library also commemorates Redmond Barry with an annual lecture.

Happy birthday Sir Redmond Barry. Thank you for your vision and for your confidence in the people of Victoria.

George Frederick Folingsby, Sir Redmond Barry, c 1880, oil on canvas, State Library of Victoria

The Library’s newest exhibition Free, secular and democratic: building the Public Library 1853–1913 opened last week and explores the grand vision of Victoria’s cultural institutions and the people who made it happen. See the original plans for the Public Library (now the State Library), a beautiful case of humming birds on loan from our friends at the Museum and a captivating multimedia reconstruction of Reed’s Intercolonial Exhibition, which takes you through the building as it would have appeared in 1866, prior to its demolition.

The domed reading room is a Melbourne icon, a space that has inspired writers and artists since it opened on 14 November 1913. As we celebrate our Dome Centenary, Enchanted dome: the Library and imagination features representations of the dome in art and literature from the 1950s to today.

Take a stroll around the Dome galleries on levels 4 and 5, overlooking the beautiful reading room, and absorb the historical artefacts that shaped Victoria in The changing face of Victoria exhibition which includes Ned Kelly’s armour or soak up the rare, beautiful and historically significant books held in the Library’s collections in Mirror of the world.

Free, secular and democratic and Enchanted dome are part of many Dome Centenary exhibitions and events taking place in 2013, to celebrate 100 years of our iconic dome and all that it enables.

On the Queen’s Birthday public holiday the Library will be open from 10am to 6pm, the Galleries will close at 5pm. Come and explore.

Image from the Free, secular and democratic exhibition: John Gollings, Domed reading room, 2004, digital file, courtesy of John Gollings

This year’s Inky Awards longlist was announced Saturday afternoon at the 2013 Reading Matters conference.

After a very successful three days of Australian and international authors leading discussions, workshops about writing and publishing for young adult readers, Reading Matters came to a close with the unveiling of the Inky Awards longlist.
 
The Inky awards were founded in 2007 by the Centre for Youth Literature and are Australia’s first national awards for literature to be voted for by teens; the audience the authors intended to read their books, actually do the voting. 

The ten Australian books, nominated for the Gold Inky Award, and ten international books, nominated for the Silver Inky Award, will be read over two months by a panel of teen judges and narrowed down to a list of five Australian and five international books.

Once the shortlist of the final ten books has been announced in August, the fun starts as judging is thrown open to teens across Australia to vote and discuss the books on the insideadog website.

Announcing the funding at the launch of the Library’s latest exhibition – celebrating its architectural and social history – Ms Victoria said the Victorian Coalition Government’s support would protect one of Victoria’s greatest cultural treasures for future generations.

‘Designed by architect Joseph Reed in the 1850s, our magnificent State Library is the oldest public library in Australia and one of Melbourne’s most important landmarks.

‘The Coalition Government is committed to ensuring the Library remains a jewel in the State’s crown and that it continues to serve and inspire more than 1.5 million visitors each year.’

In addition to undertaking important works to the render of the Dome, addressing issues caused by weathering, the funding will enable the Library to complete a three year project to repair the façades of the building. New fire and safety systems will also be installed.

The capital funding is in addition to $3 million , provided in the 2013-14 Victorian Budget, which will support the Library at an organisational level to deliver a bold new vision; build its capacity; and meet the changing needs of Victorians.

President of the Library Board of Victoria, John Wylie welcomed the Coalition Government’s additional funding.

‘For 100 years the Domed Reading Room has been a place of inspiration, creativity and learning for the people of Victoria. These welcome funds will ensure that it remains so for the next 100 years,’ Mr Wylie said.

The works are expected to be undertaken over the next year.

The State Library’s exhibition Free, secular and democratic: building the Public Library 1853–1913 is open daily until Sunday 2 February 2014. Entry is free.

La Trobe reading room.
Photo: Andrew Lloyd

The marriage of Yusuf and Zulaykha, from Jami, ‘Yusuf u Zulaykha’, 1595 Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, MS. Elliott 418, fol. 56r

We are delighted that the Library was Highly Commended for both Love and Devotion: From Persia and Beyond, and the national tour of Look! The Art of Australian Picture Books Today in the MAGNA Temporary/Travelling Exhibition categories. Curated by Susan Scollay and Clare Williamson, Love and Devotion was designed by the Library’s Exhibition Designer Megan Atkins. Look! was curated by Mike Shuttleworth and also designed by Megan Atkins.

JJ Clark: Architect of the Australian Renaissance, by Andrew Dodd, won a MAPDA book (non-exhibition catalogue) award. This book was produced by NewSouth Publishing, and designed by NewSouth designer Di Quick. Andrew Dodd researched this book as the 2009 Redmond Barry Fellow  (a partnership between the State Library of Victoria and the University of Melbourne) and the Library also assisted with its publication.The Library was happy to receive these awards on behalf of the many many people who helped to make these exhibitions and this book so successful.

JJ Clark Architect of the Australian Renaissance by Andrew Dodd

Sunday’s Garden: Growing Heide, by Lesley Harding and Kendrah Morgan, which was entered by Heide Museum of Modern Art, also won a MAPDA book award. This book was published by the Miegunyah Press in association with the State Library of Victoria and the Heide Museum of Modern Art. It was designed by Trisha Garner. The authors carried out much of their research in the Library’s collection. These awards celebrate excellence in design and communication in the Australian museum and collections sector. Entries to these awards are accepted from museums and galleries throughout Australia. Winning entries can be viewed on the Museums Australia website.

Look! the art of Australian picture books today

Ken Fraser started at the State Library in 1969 as a reference librarian and cataloguer before his retirement (compulsory at age 65) in 1993. The next day, Ken came straight on board as a volunteer, working on the Anderson Chess Collection, then later upgrading the catalogue records for the bound pamphlets collections and exporting the records to Libraries Australia.

The pamphlets contain material often ephemeral in nature from the late 18th century to approximately 1950 and many of these items are either very rare or uniquely held by this Library. This material is being progressively digitised and made available online through the Library’s catalogue.

The Library holds approximately 140 bound pamphlet collections, some containing thousands of pamphlets, providing researchers with valuable insights to events such as the World wars and historical curiosities such as 19th century spiritualism.

Over twenty years as a volunteer, Ken has catalogued 59 of the bound pamphlet collections, over 15,900 pamphlets, covering a vast range of subjects such as temperance, viticulture, Belgian medicine, European war, as well as the Australian pamphlets on biography, literature, history, and art. This equates to over 1,440 volumes and a possible 11,520 titles catalogued – a huge body of work.

Thank you Ken for the many years you have given to the Library and for your dedication to public service.

If you are inspired by Ken’s story and are interested in becoming a Library volunteer, visit the information page for further details about this rewarding experience.

Ken Fraser at his retirement farewell, December 21st, 1993

• The Life and Adventures of Edward Snell from 1849 to 1859 by Edward Snell

• Diary of Charles Evans, 1853 September 24 -1855 January 21 (formerly known as the Lazarus Diary) by Charles Evans

• Diary of a miner working on the Ballarat goldfields, 1855 Jul. 8 – 1856 Jan. 1, author unknown

Combined the diaries provide first-hand accounts of some of the most significant moments of the Victorian gold rush, from the discovery gold to the Eureka rebellion.

Joanne Ritale, Collection Services Manager at the State Library of Victoria, who attended the announcement in Adelaide last night, was delighted with the diaries’ inclusion.

‘These diaries add significantly to our understanding of life on the Victorian goldfields and the everyday concerns of people there at that time. They are an important part of Australia’s collective memory.

Diaries are an excellent primary source for research as they are generally created while, or soon after, events are unfolding. They record the social and cultural habits of their period and document aspects of everyday life which may not be captured in more public historical records.’

The diaries now add to the other significant State Library collections on the Australian memory of the world register: the Port Phillip Association Records and the Minute Books of Pre-Federation Australian Trade Unions.

About the diaries

The Life and Adventures of Edward Snell from 1849 to 1859 by Edward Snell.

Edward Snell’s diary records his firsthand experience during two important historical moments in Victoria – the gold rush and the railway boom. Snell was an engineer, surveyor, artist, adventurer, and a diarist. This diary, documents his experiences in South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria – where, after spending several months on the Bendigo goldfields, he won the contract to build the Geelong to Melbourne Railway, Australia’s first country railway.

View images from the diary and further information about Edward Snell.

Diary of Charles Evans, 1853 September 24 -1855 January 21 (formerly known as the Lazarus Diary) by Charles Evans.

Contains one of the few eyewitness accounts of the Eureka uprising at Ballarat, Victoria in December 1854, in which at least 20 miners died. Entries span 16 months, from 24 September 1853 to 21 January 1855. They recount many of the key events associated with the uprising, from the burning of the Eureka Hotel to the bloody aftermath of the storming of the stockade.

View the full diary online.

Diary of a miner working on the Ballarat goldfields, 1855 Jul. 8 – 1856 Jan. 1, author unknown.

The diary describes the daily life of a miner at Ballarat and surrounding goldfields, with a record of income and outlays for July-Dec 1855 at the back of the volume. It contains descriptions of the weather conditions, chores, meals, and many local events including visits to theatrical performances by Lola Montez, Charles Thatcher and others, deaths and near fatalities by fire and in mining accidents, the murder of a butcher, the escape of a Bengal tiger from the Montezuma Circus into Ballarat’s main street, and trips to Melbourne to visit the Botanical Gardens and to witness construction of a bridge across the Yarra River at Richmond Point.

The identity of the writer has not been established but he appears to have been a Scotsman, probably from Glasgow or nearby Dumbarton.

View the full diary online.

About the UNESCO Australian memory of the world register

Founded in 2000, the UNECSO Australian memory of the world register was the first in the world; now there are more than 60 national Memory of the World programs, and is designed to list documents that have significant documentary heritage.

More information about the register can be found at amw.org.au/register

Diary of Charles Evans, 1853 September 24 -1855 January 21