State Library Victoria

🍞 103 years of happy little Vegemites!

On this day in 1923, the Australian breakfast staple was invented in Albert Park in Melbourne and hit supermarket shelves that same year.

Read more about the history of the national treasure in 'Vegemite: the true story of the man who invented an Australian icon' – available on the shelf in the Dome.

📚 Step into the Library these winter school holidays for treasured tales and creative adventures where memories are made page by page.

Join us for activities, crafts, movies and more:
🚗 Start your engines for an evening of imagination and adventure at our first ever Drive-In Storytime.
📝 Celebrate the 21st Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge as you reimagine beloved fairytales and classic stories at our writing workshop: Stories to discover. Stories to tell.
🖼️ Create a keepsake photo frame inspired by the book, These Long-Loved Things by Josh Pyke and Ronojoy Ghosh at a free drop-in craft session.

👉 Tap to explore the full school holiday program: https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/stories/spotlight-collection/school-holiday-program
✏️Writing workshops are supported by the Department of Education Victoria for the 21st Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge.

🛒✨ Step into 150 years of Aussie retail history.

The Coles Myer Archive is a treasure trove of 30,000+ items – from catalogues and clothing to photos, film reels, vintage advertising and more – stored across 1 kilometre of shelving.

The collection represents an economic, social and cultural snapshot of 20th-century Australia.

🔗 The Library has digitised 6000 of these collection items. Explore them online this International Archives Week: guides.slv.vic.gov.au/colesmyer/getstarted

🎂 Happy 213th birthday to our founder, Sir Redmond Barry!

Born in 1813, he became the founding trustee of State Library Victoria (then Melbourne Public Library) in 1853 – and was appointed first chancellor of the University of Melbourne that same year.

Barry was the driving force behind the Library’s policy of access and education for all, which was radical thinking at the time. Even before the Library opened, he reportedly made his own book collection available to anyone who wandered into the kitchen of his cottage.

The influential public figure also oversaw the establishment of the Museum of Victoria and National Gallery of Victoria, and famously presided over the trial of Ned Kelly.

As we celebrate 170 years of the Library, we're reflecting on Barry's vision, which helped shape the cultural institutions we know today.

Sorry to say it, Melbourne, but winter has officially arrived. ❄️

These Victorian snow scenes have us feeling the chill already.

The plus side? It’s curl-up-with-a-good-book season.
As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, we think it's time to rug up and get reading. 📖