A panoramic view of the library facade, forecourt and lawns from Swanston Street

The State Library lit up at night.

The State Library of Victoria is the central library of the state of Victoria, Australia, located in the city of Melbourne. It is situated on the block bounded by Swanston, La Trobe, Russell, and Little Lonsdale Streets, in the northern centre of the central business district. The Library's combined collections contain over 1.5 million books and 16,000 serials, including the diaries of the city's founders, John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner, as well as the folios of Captain James Cook. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2775x1206, 1036 KB) Summary A panoramic view of the facade of the Victorian State Library, Swanston St, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2775x1206, 1036 KB) Summary A panoramic view of the facade of the Victorian State Library, Swanston St, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (999x569, 224 KB) Summary Taken by Anthony Agius Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (999x569, 224 KB) Summary Taken by Anthony Agius Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A modern-style library in Chambéry A library is a collection of information resources and services, organized for use, and maintained by a public body, institution, or private individual. ... The states and territories of Australia make up the Commonwealth of Australia under a federal system of government. ... Emblems: Pink heath (floral)Weedy Seadragon (Aquatic) helmeted honeyeater (bird) Leadbeaters possum (faunal) Motto: Peace and Prosperity Slogan or Nickname: Garden State, The Place To Be, On The Move Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Government Const. ... Melbournes Yarra River is a popular area for walking, jogging, cycling, rowing and for relaxing on the banks with a picnic Melbourne (pronounced ) is the second most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 3. ... Swanston Street, looking north from the corner of Bourke Street Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. ... La Trobe Street (also LaTrobe) is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Russell Street is a north-south street in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837. ... Schematic plan of Hoddles allotments for the village of Melbourne, March,1837 Each block was further subdivided into 20 allotments each 76 perches in area Map of central Melbourne Melbournes CBD. The Hoddle Grid is the layout of the streets in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. ... John Batman John Batman (21 January 1801 - 5 May 1839) was an Australian farmer and businessman who was one of the first settlers of the Melbourne area. ... John Pascoe Fawkner John Pascoe Fawkner (20 October 1792 - 4 September 1869) was an early pioneer, businessman and politician of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ...

In 1853 the decision to build a state library was made at the instigation of Lieutenant-Governor Charles La Trobe and Sir Redmond Barry. A competition was held to decide who would design the new building; local architect Joseph Reed (who later designed the Melbourne Town Hall and the Royal Exhibition Building) won the commission. 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... List of Governors of Victoria See Governors of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Governor. ... Charles La Trobe (March 20, 1801 - December 4, 1875) was the first lieutenant-governor of the state of Victoria. ... Sir Redmond Barry (1813 - November 23, 1880) was a British colonial judge in Victoria, Australia. ... Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An Ciara Danille Bowers is a person who is involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ... Joseph Reed (1823?-1890), a Cornishman by birth, was probably the most influential Victorian era architect in Melbourne, Australia. ... During the Melbourne International Comedy Festival the Melbourne Town Hall acts as venue to a large number of the performances. ... The Royal Exhibition Building, showing the fountain on the southern or Carlton Gardens side of the building The Royal Exhibition Building from the main avenue of the Carlton Gardens The Royal Exhibition Building, viewed from the west The Royal Exhibition Building is located in Melbourne, Australia. ...

On 3 July 1854, the recently inaugurated Governor Sir Charles Hotham laid the foundation stone of both the new Library and the University of Melbourne. The Library opened in 1856, with a collection of 3,800 books chosen by Sir Barry, the President of Trustees. Augustus H. Tulk, the first Librarian, was appointed three months after the opening. July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Captain Sir Charles Hotham, RN, KCB, was Governor of Victoria, Australia (22 May 1855 - 31 December 1855) Categories: People stubs ... The Old Quad Building, formerly Old Law The University of Melbourne, located in Melbourne, Victoria, is the second oldest university in Australia, and the oldest in Victoria. ... The word trustee is a legal term that refers to a holder of property on behalf of some other beneficiary. ...

The Library complex also held the State's Gallery and Museum, until the National Gallery of Victoria moved to St Kilda Road in the 1960s, and the current Melbourne Museum was built in the Carlton Gardens in the 1990s. National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. ... St Kilda Road, through the waterwall at the National Gallery of Victoria St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Exhibit space Museum hall The Melbourne Museum is located in the Carlton Gardens in Melbourne, Australia. ... Carlton Gardens south The Carlton Gardens is a World Heritage Site located on the northeastern edge of the Central Business District in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the symbol of the cold war divide falls down as the world unites in the 1990s. ...

Front lawn, forecourt and statues

A view of the library from the left side facing Swanston Street

The grassy lawn in front of the Library's grand entrance on Swanston Street is a popular lunch-spot for the city's workers and students of the adjacent RMIT University. Originally enclosed by a picket fence, then by a wrought iron fence and gates in the 1870s, the space was opened with the removal of the fence in 1939. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2150x1433, 1359 KB) Summary A photo taken on a warm spring day at lunch time. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2150x1433, 1359 KB) Summary A photo taken on a warm spring day at lunch time. ... RMIT University (previously Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology), is a university in Melbourne, Australia. ... A wrought iron railing in Troy, New York. ... // Events and Trends Technology The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

A number of statues exist in the entrance area. A pair of bronze lions graced the park from the 1860s, but were removed in 1937. Currently, there are statues of Sir Redmond Barry, designed by James Gilbert and built by Percival Ball, installed in 1887; Saint George and the Dragon, by the English sculptor Sir Edgar Boehm, installed in 1889; Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc), a replica of the statue by French sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet, installed in 1907; and Charles La Trobe, by Australian sculptor Peter Corlett, installed in 2006. Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... // Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States is built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Percival Ball (b 1844 in England; d 1900 in England) was a sculptor active in Australia. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... Saint George versus the dragon St. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... why hello hello Sculptor redirects here. ... 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Image of Joan of Arc, painted between 1450 and 1500 (Centre Historique des Archives Nationales, Paris, AE II 2490). ... Emmanuel Frémiet French sculptor 1824-1910, lived and died in Paris. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Charles La Trobe (March 20, 1801 - December 4, 1875) was the first lieutenant-governor of the state of Victoria. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On Sundays between 2:30pm and 5:30pm a speaker's forum takes place on the library forecourt, where orators take turns in speaking on various subjects.

Reading rooms

The La Trobe Reading Room

The first reading room was the Queen's Reading Room (now Queen's Hall), which was opened in 1859. Temporary buildings built in 1866 for the Intercolonial Exhibition remained in use by the Library until 1909, when work began on a new annexe building to mark the Library's Jubilee. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1500x2142, 1127 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1500x2142, 1127 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

This new building was the landmark Domed Reading Room, (currently known as the La Trobe Reading Room) which opened in 1913, and was designed by Norman G. Peebles. Its octagonal space was designed to hold over a million books and up to 500 readers at a time. It is 34 3/4 m in both diameter and height, and the dome's annulus is nearly 5m wide. The dome was the largest of its type in the world on completion, and its original skylights were covered in copper sheets in 1959 due to water leakage. The Room was closed in 1999 to allow for renovation, during which natural light was returned. The now renamed La Trobe Reading Room reopened in 2003. Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... A regular octagon. ... The metre, or meter (U.S.), is a measure of length. ... An annulus In mathematics, an annulus (the Latin word for little ring, with plural annuli) is a ring-shaped geometric figure, or more generally, a term used to name a ring-shaped object. ... For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... La Trobe may refer to: Charles La Trobe (1801 - 1875), the first lieutenant-governor of the state of Victoria, Australia. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1965, the La Trobe Building annex was opened to house the Library's Australiana collection, which has since moved to the La Trobe Reading Room. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

Arts Library

The library maintains an extensive, world-class collection of books, periodicals, recordings and other materials pertaining to art, music and the performing arts.

Chess room

The Library has bookshelves containing their extensive range of books and periodicals relating to the game chess, set aside in a room of their own. Also occupying this room are tables equipped with chessboards, and a few glass cabinets containing historical chess paraphernalia. The room is intended to be used only for the play and study of chess. Chess is an abstract strategy board game for two players that is played both recreationally and competitively. ... A chessboard is often painted or engraved on a chess table. ...

Redevelopment

The Library has undergone major refurbishments between 1990 and 2004, designed by architects Ancher Mortlock & Woolley. The project cost approximately $200 million AUD. This article is about the year. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ISO 4217 Code AUD User(s) Australia, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island Inflation 4% (Australia only) Source Reserve Bank of Australia, June 2006 Pegged by Tuvaluan dollar at par Superunit 1000 grand Subunit 1/100 cent Symbol $ or AUD cent ¢ Coins ¢5, ¢10, ¢20...

Databases

Many of the library's electronic databases are now available to the public from home. Databases include the full Encyclopaedia Britannica; Oxford Reference dictionaries and encyclopaedias; multi-subject magazine and journal article databases; newspaper archives of most major Australian and international papers from 2000 onwards and specialist subject databases. They are available from home to any Victorian who registers as a State Library User.

Gallery

External links

• Official website
• Search Catalogues & Databases
• Library Collections
• Library redevelopment project website
• SLV Myspace
• State Library of Victoria Offsite Databases

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