State+Library+Virtual+Tour

=﻿ Our Virtual Tour of Victoria's State Library =

During our many visits to the State Library over the duration of this project, we have compiled a virtual tour of the Library for those who have not had the chance to see it as we have.

The Statues We start outside the library, where various statues of importance watch over us from the lawn. In the centre of all this commotion stands Sir Redmond Barry, who just happens to be the founder of the State Library. You will notice that he’s facing towards Melbourne University, a site in Melbourne’s CBD which he also founded. In Barry's time, people often questioned why he would build a university so far from the Library, but Barry had ideas of his own. He thought that Melbourne would evolve into one of the major cities of Australia, and to scale, with a developed transport system, it wouldn’t be that far at all. It turns out that he was right.

Walk to the left, and you’ll see the rather strange sight of St. George and the Dragon. In this image, the saint is thrusting a spear through the beast, whilst mounted upon his noble steed.

From here, if you stroll over to you right, past Redmond Barry, you’ll notice a woman mounted on a horse with a victorious banner at hand. This is the statue of Jeanne D’Arc (who here, in Australia, is more commonly known as Joan of Arc). However it’s not an original design, but a replica by the French sculptor Emmanuel Fremiet.

To find out more, visit our statues page.

Inside the Library From here, you’re ready to go to the library.Walking into the library the first room you will see is the Cafeteria. Walk in and you will smell the fresh aroma of cooking, you may wish to buy a treat from here, but unfortunately food or any other drink (excluding water) is not allowed to be taken into the Library.

To the left of the Library's entrance, you will see the locker room. If you're carrying a bag that contains food, or is larger than the diagram displayed at the front desk, you will need to lock it up. A small locker can be rented for one dollar and a large locker can be rented for two dollars. If none of this concerns you, you can walk straight ahead into the information center. Here you can join the Library (you'll need id, e.g. a drivers license, student card or passport). As a member, you'll have free access to the computers, books and may even request items of of storage. However, the State Library is not a lending library. If you ignore this, walk to the left you and will enter the Genealogy room.

Genealogy is the study of family history. The Library's Helen McPherson Smith Genealogy Center contains a wide variety of material including microfilms, microfiche, CD-ROM s, websites and books that store a wealth of information that may concern you and you family's history. It mainly focuses on materials from Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. It also contains many records, including immigration papers showing information about birth, marriage and death.

Walk to the left of this room and you will enter Experimedia, a relatively new wing of the Library. This room is filled with modern day electronics (yes, that includes play stations, a huge T.V plasma screen and much more). The use of this wing of the library is absolutely free, though a membership card is required. Upon observation, this area is particularly popular with teenagers and of course is a personal favorite of ours.

Walking past the librarians and turning on the next left will lead you to the newspapers and microfilms. A microfilm is a film containing a miniature copy of some sort of a document, which may include a newspaper, book, magazine and many other sources. You are able to read the newspapers on the microfilm scanners, and can find newspapers dating back to the 18th century.

An extract from The Age and The Argus, both dating back to the 12th of February 1856, can be accessed at the State Library. They contain the public announcement of the State Library's opening, and give you an insight of what was thought of the building way back then.

By either taking the stairs or the lift, you will reach the next level and find the Cowan Gallery. This gallery contains paintings of many historical events such as Batman's treaty with the indigenous people of Melbourne. It has a wonderful collection of portraits, many of these including famous and influential people involved in the history of Australia such as William Buckley, Sir Redmond Barry (founder of the State Library) and John Fawkner (one of the two founders of Melbourne).

Taking the stairs and reaching the next level will take you to the La Trobe Dome Reading Room. This is the most famous part of the Library. It has the potential to hold 500 readers and over a million books. Built in 1913, its design amazes many people around the world. It was designed by the State Library's original architect Joseph Reed and at the present moment it holds the Library's Australian Collection. In 2005, the band Faker shot its music video for their song Hurricane in the Dome Room. It's very unusual that a library this strict would let a band jump all over its original furniture (the tables and chairs in the dome room haven't been replaced since its opening in 1913). The music video can be accessed through the link below.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Our virtual tour ends here. There are so many aspects of the Library that only a proper tour can offer and we've intentionally left some of the rooms out so you can go and discover them for yourself. We highly recommend visiting Victoria's State Library (and yes, it is free) and hope that our virtual tour has been both useful and entertaining.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">By Nicola & Sherin

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Faker's Hurricane Video

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Back to Homepage