Redmond Barry Society bookplates
Leave your mark with a book dedication
Redmond Barry Society bookplates
The Redmond Barry Society is a group of passionate supporters who have chosen to express their enduring connection with State Library Victoria by confirming a gift in their Will. If you’d like a confidential conversation about the impact you can make through a gift in your Will, please contact the Philanthropy team on: 03 8664 7589 or bequests@slv.vic.gov.au
Book dedications are a delightful way to leave a lasting legacy at State Library Victoria or pay tribute to a friend or loved one.
Your chosen name will be printed onto a specially designed, limited-edition bookplate. It will appear in pride of place inside the front cover of a new hardcover book entering the collection and remain there for its lifetime.
Every purchase doubles as a tax-deductible donation that helps grow and preserve State Library Victoria’s collection for future generations.
COMMEMORATIVE BOOKPLATES – CELEBRATING 170 YEARS
Our 2026 bookplate designs commemorate the Library’s 170th anniversary through stunning vintage photographs of beloved Library spaces:
- The Library steps and entrance – $200
- The Ian Potter Queen’s Hall – $500
- The La Trobe Reading Room – $1000.
Each design is decorated with an exclusive stamp for the anniversary year. Celebrate the people, milestones and memories in your life by ordering your favourite design today.
ABOUT THE DESIGNS
The Library steps and entrance
Do you remember visiting the Library for the first time, or hearing others recount their first impressions? This striking photograph by acclaimed German-Australian photographer Mark Strizic evokes those magical memories, showing a woman walking up the steps towards the Library’s grand entrance on Swanston Street. The woman’s vintage clothing and hairstyle situate you in a past chapter of the Library’s history, while paying tribute to the timeless joy of visiting the Library today.
View the photograph in the Library catalogue: Woman walking up steps towards entrance of Melbourne Public Library, Mark Strizic, c.1950–1960; H2008.11/300.
The Ian Potter Queen’s Hall
Gain a rare glimpse into the Library’s original reading room, The Ian Potter Queen’s Hall. This elegant hall remains an iconic space today, enlivened by visitors of all kinds. This photograph from 1975 captures a beautiful moment of quiet contemplation. The scene spotlights a solitary reader at a desk and many of the hall’s defining features about them – its soaring ceiling and heritage pillars, ornate cornices and light fittings, and stacks of well-loved books.
View the photograph in the Library catalogue: Queen’s Hall, State Library of Victoria, after renovations, photographer unknown, 1975; H81.241/3. Now known as The Ian Potter Queen’s Hall.
The La Trobe Reading Room
The Library’s famous Dome has an atmosphere of pure wonder. From the reading room and galleries to the top balcony, it inspires millions of visitors every year. This photograph from more than 100 years ago takes you behind the scenes of history, showing construction works on the grand ceiling. The La Trobe Reading Room remains an evolving stage for all kinds of unforgettable moments, memories and milestones – in our story, and in yours. It is the jewel in the Library’s crown.
View the photograph in the collection: Interior of The Domed Reading Room, Sutcliffe Pty Ltd, c. 1918; H36621.
Now known as the La Trobe Reading Room.