About the Library's Collections

The Library's collection includes over two million books and serials, one of Australia's largest newspaper collections, hundreds of thousands of pictures, maps, manuscripts and artefacts, as well as material in digital and multimedia formats. A selection of interesting facts and figures about the Library are available on the At a Glance page. 

The collection covers all subject areas, contains information from every part of the world and is available in a range of languages and formats. While it has many strengths, the Library's collection particularly specialises in material relating to Victoria and its people. At its core, it represents the collective memory of the state of Victoria.

What is a collection?

The Library uses this word in several ways. In its most general application, it refers to all the items that have been either purchased, donated or acquired through legal deposit since the Library was first established. It is also used to describe material that is logically grouped together under a format like maps, or a subject area such as the arts. Sometimes, it is applied to a specific collection that has been named after its original owner, like the Ken Pound Collection or the J.K. Moir Collection.

How did the collection start?

The Library first opened in 1856 with a stock of 3846 books. While a few of these were donated, most were personally selected and ordered by Sir Redmond Barry - politician, judge and one of the key founders of the Library. More information about the key people and events surrounding the foundation of the Library is available in the History of the Library.

What do we collect and why?

As the principal public reference and research library in Victoria, the State Library collects material that not only preserves and promotes the cultural heritage of the state but provides access to a wide range of information and resources. 

The Library's statutory responsibilities are set out in the Libraries Act 1988 which broadly determines how it collects material, what it collects and why. The guidelines that shape the development of the Library's collection are contained in the Library's Collection & Resources Development Policy. This policy defines the Library's collection aims, identifies its strengths and outlines its collecting intentions.

Collection strengths

• Arts
  Includes the visual and performing arts, music, magic, cinema, television, radio, photography, and recorded sound and video. There is a strong emphasis on Australian material, particularly in the Australian Art and Artists (AAA) collection of exhibition ephemera.
• Australian Manuscripts
  Includes original archival materials that reflect all aspects of Victorian life.
• Australiana
  Encompasses materials that deal specifically in history, literature, culture, biography, travel and Aboriginal studies, with particular focus on Victoria.
• Business & Statistics
  Includes statistical publications, directories, databases and yearbooks, with emphasis on Australia.
• Chess
  Contains books, tournament reports, magazines and pamphlets. It is recognised as one of the three largest public chess collections in the world.
• Children’s Literature
  Contains picture books, readers, anthologies, ephemera, and works of fiction including rare children's books, with an emphasis on Australian literature.
• Information Databases
  Includes multi-subject databases and subject specific databases. Access is via the Information Databases link from the catalogue. 
• Genealogy
  Includes indexes to births, deaths & marriages, cemetery and immigration records, and electoral rolls and directories. The focus is on genealogical sources for Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
• Humanities and Social Sciences
  Encompasses materials on psychology, sociology, religion, literature, economics, linguistics and history.
• Law & Government publications
  Includes parliamentary papers, legislative material and Hansards for all the states of Australia and the Commonwealth Government. Also government publications from the United Nations, United Kingdom, United States and the European Community.
• Maps
  Includes mainly Australian, and particularly Victorian maps and is also complemented by strong holdings of maps from overseas.
• Newspapers
  Includes a comprehensive collection of Victorian metropolitan, suburban and regional newspapers, as well as selected Australian and international titles.
• Pictures
  Includes biographical, cultural, environmental, historical, sociological and topographical images relating to Victoria.
• Rare Books
  Comprises rare and valuable Australian and non-Australian books dating from the 17th century until the present day.
• Science and Technology
  Encompasses medicine, health, motoring manuals and periodicals, patents, standards and codes of practice, and environmental resources.
• Sport & Recreation
  Includes current and historical materials focusing on various sport and recreational activities pursued in Australia.

How is material collected?

There are four main ways the State Library collects materials:  

Legal Deposit

Under the legal deposit provisions of the Libraries Act 1988, the Library receives one copy of every book, journal and newspaper published in Victoria. 

Read more about legal deposit >

Government Deposit

Material published by the Victorian Government and its instrumentalities is also deposited under the Premier's Department Circular No. 2005/2 and its predecessors. 

There are also a number of other deposit arrangements with various overseas governments and international organisations.

Purchase

To supplement this core collection, the Library allocates significant amounts of money each year to purchase a range of research-level material from around Australia and the world. The total sum spent each year is published in the Annual Report.

Donation

The Library also receives a large number of donations from individuals and organisations within Victoria and elsewhere. Acceptance of a donation is determined by the Library's Collection & Resources Development Policy, and is not necessarily automatic. For more information see the Donations Policy section of the Collection & Resources Development Policy.