What&#039;s on

Saturday, 1 July 2017 - 3:00pm–3:45pm

Curators’ tour: 'Mirror of the world'

Friday, 5 May 2017–Sunday, 30 July 2017

On Gunaikurnai Country: Gippsland Aboriginal Elders, leaders and artists

Tuesday, 4 July 2017–Thursday, 6 July 2017

School holiday program: Story Camp

Wednesday, 5 July 2017 - 6:00pm–7:15pm

Contemporary book design

Sunday, 9 July 2017 - 11:00am–4:00pm

Jane Austen on film

All events & exhibitions

Daily

Cowen Gallery exhibition

Enjoy the Library's free permanent exhibition of oil paintings and portrait sculptures.

Cost: Free

09 April 2015–04 June 2018

Writing the war: personal stories from WWI

Hear extraordinary stories of war in this moving exhibition about the Australian experience of WWI.

Cost: Free

Touring exhibition

Daily

Play Pod

Play Pod is the Library's program for children aged under eight years, packed with activities to read, create and play.

Cost: Free

10 June 2016–20 January 2018

Story Island: an adventure in pictures

Come on a journey of imagination at your local public library to touch the skin of a dragon, tickle a wombat’s furry tummy and hide away in a reading pod!

Cost: Free

touring exhibition

Daily

The changing face of Victoria

Visit a remarkable free exhibition that tells the stories of the people, places and events that have shaped Victoria.

Cost: Free

Daily

Mirror of the world: books and ideas

Delight in the Mirror of the world: books and ideas exhibition, and discover the many rare and beautiful books held in our collections.

Cost: Free

09 January 2017–15 December 2017

'Changing face of Victoria' tour

Visit the La Trobe Reading Room and see highlights of the 'Changing face of Victoria' exhibition in this free guided tour, held daily at 2pm except public holidays and except from 22 May to 2 June 2017.

Cost: Free

09 January 2017–15 December 2017

'Mirror of the world' tour

Visit the La Trobe Reading Room and see highlights of the 'Mirror of the world' exhibition on this free guided tour, running daily at 11.30am.

Cost: Free

17 March 2017–16 July 2017

Katayoun Javan: Building a home away from home

Explore themes of immigration, home and diaspora in Katayoun Javan's moving exhibition about Iranian immigrants to Victoria.

Cost: Free

05 May 2017–30 July 2017

On Gunaikurnai Country: Gippsland Aboriginal Elders, leaders and artists

See Angela Lynkushka's stunning new portrait series of Aboriginal community Elders, leaders and artists from the Gippsland region.

Cost: Free

28 June 2017, 10:30am–11:00am

Baby bounce

Share this fun session of stories, songs and rhymes with children aged two and under, held three times a week.

Cost: Free

28 June 2017, 11:30am–12:00pm

Storytime

Have fun every Wednesday and Thursday with stories, songs, rhymes and creative activities for children aged three to five, their parents and carers.

Cost: Free

28 June 2017, 1:00pm–2:00pm

Ned Kelly tour

Discover the story of Victoria’s infamous bushranger Ned Kelly in this free guided tour running every Wednesday and Saturday, except public holidays and except from 24 to 31 May 2017.

Cost: Free

29 June 2017, 11:00am–12:15pm

Author in-conversation: John Barnes on Charles Joseph La Trobe

Join author John Barnes as he reveals new perspectives on Charles Joseph La Trobe, the subject of his new biography, 'La Trobe: traveller, writer, governor'.

Cost: Free

Bookings open for new dates

29 June 2017, 11:30am–12:30pm

World of possibilities tour

Come behind the scenes for an exclusive tour of our beautiful and historic spaces, before they are transformed as part of the Library’s Vision 2020 redevelopment.

Cost: $25

29 June 2017, 6:00pm–6:30pm

Dome after dark: Sir Redmond Barry & the World's Fair, 1876

Join us for a free talk about the inaugural World's Fair in 1876 which attracted ten million visitors, including Sir Redmond Barry.

Cost: Free

01 July 2017, 1:30pm–4:00pm

The magic of the arts

Join an expert panel for a fascinating half-day seminar exploring hidden treasures in our Arts Collection, in this free Rare Book Week session.

Cost: Free

01 July 2017, 3:00pm–3:45pm

Curators’ tour: 'Mirror of the world'

Join curators Des Cowley and Anna Welch to view and learn more about some of the rare, beautiful and historically significant books from our 'Mirror of the world: books and ideas' exhibition.

Cost: Free

03 July 2017, 10:00am–2:00pm

School holiday activity: calligraphy & the art of illuminated manuscripts

In this free school holiday workshop as part of Rare Book Week, experiment with modern-day calligraphy materials to learn techniques from the past, for ages 5–12.

Cost: Free

03 July 2017, 10:30am–12:00pm

School holiday workshop: make your own book

Be inspired by the Library’s collection of beautiful books and create your own masterpiece to take home! Bookings required.

Cost: Free

03 July 2017, 11:00am–11:45am

'The Banks’ florilegium' & some of its relatives

Join this free Rare Book Week event that looks at some of the magnificent engraved plates in the Library's rare set of 'The Banks' florilegium'.

Cost: Free

Booked out

04 July 2017–06 July 2017

School holiday program: Story Camp

Meet and learn from some of Australia's most exciting and inspiring storytellers in a free school holiday workshop for 12 to 15-year-olds.

Cost: Free for young people from eligible schools

04 July 2017, 10:15am–12:15pm

Newsworthy

Learn how to find our newspapers in hard copy, online and microfilm, and to search for individual articles.

Cost: Free

04 July 2017, 10:30am–11:00am

Welcome to the Library tour

Take a free guided tour exploring the Library’s many spaces and services – tours run every Tuesday, except public holidays.

Cost: Free

04 July 2017, 11:00am–11:45am

From manuscript to print: books in transition in the 15th century

Join book historian Anna Welch in this free Rare Book Week event, exploring the repercussions of the transition from handwritten to printed books in the 15th century.

Cost: Free

04 July 2017, 2:00pm–3:30pm

Using eresources from home

Learn to access ebooks, newspapers and journal articles from the comfort of home.

Cost: Free

05 July 2017, 11:00am–11:45am

Shaped books: from die-cuts to laser production

Join Children's Research Librarian Juliet O'Conor for a discussion about shaped children’s books from the Library's collection, in this free Rare Book Week event.

Cost: Free

05 July 2017, 2:00pm–3:30pm

Search & find

Improve your online research skills in this one-hour workshop.

Cost: Free

05 July 2017, 6:00pm–7:15pm

Contemporary book design

Explore the art of book cover design in Australia in this free Rare Book Week panel session, chaired by WH Chong of Text Publishing.

Cost: Free

06 July 2017, 11:00am–11:45am

The John Emmerson Collection

This free Rare Book Week session looks at highlights of the Library's Emmerson collection, one of the largest collections of rare English printed works in the world.

Cost: Free

Booked out

09 July 2017, 11:00am–4:00pm

Jane Austen on film

Celebrate the enduring wit of Jane Austen at the Library, with a day of Austen film adaptations.

Cost: Free

09 July 2017, 1:00pm–1:30pm

Glee Plus love the lyrics

Enjoy a literary-inspired performance of contemporary classics by Melbourne glee club Glee Plus, in the beautiful surrounds of the Cowen Gallery.

Cost: Free

11 July 2017, 6:00pm–7:15pm

The Policy Pitch

An ongoing discussion series in which experts and thinkers tackle some of the most important problems facing Australia.

Cost: Free

13 July 2017, 6:00pm–6:30pm

Dome after dark: the race to decode the hieroglyphs

Hear about the great 19th-century race between England and France to crack the ancient Egyptian code of hieroglyphs, in this free talk.

Cost: Free

18 July 2017, 10:30am–12:30pm

Finding families

Start to build your own family tree with the help of this class in family history.

Cost: Free

19 July 2017, 6:00pm–8:00pm

Countdown: 30 years on

Join Ian 'Molly' Meldrum and MC Myf Warhurst for a special, free event to celebrate 30 years since the final episode of Countdown!

Cost: Free

25 July 2017–05 August 2017

Blood: what's your type?

Drop in to the Science Gallery's pop-up laboratory on the Library forecourt and have your blood type tested on the spot!

Cost: Free

27 July 2017, 1:30pm–3:00pm

Dome to dungeons tour

Take a tour behind the scenes and explore the Library from top to bottom.

Cost: Free

27 July 2017, 6:00pm–6:30pm

Dome after dark: Victoria’s calisthenics craze

Discover how German marching drills, a Ballarat debating society and the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova contributed to the development of a unique sport in Victoria!

Cost: Free

28 July 2017–29 October 2017

50 years of La Mama

Celebrate 50 year's of experimental local theatre in this free display of images of Melbourne's iconic La Mama Theatre.

Cost: Free

29 July 2017, 10:00am–4:00pm

Open House Melbourne: self-guided Library tour

Join a free, self-guided Open House tour and explore the Library from dome to dungeon!

Cost: Free

29 July 2017, 10:00am

Open House Melbourne: Conservation Lab guided tour

Come behind the scenes to explore the State Library's intriguing Conservation Lab and hear about the work of conservators.

Cost: Free

01 August 2017, 6:00pm–7:15pm

Blood & guts

Get gruesome in this free seminar, where a medical historian and a molecular parasitology specialist discuss the microscopic mysteries under our skin!

Cost: Free

04 August 2017–26 November 2017

Looped: artist books in the round

Experience Gracia & Louise's special artist book unfold 'in the round' in the heritage dais in the domed La Trobe Reading Room.

Cost: Free

10 August 2017, 6:00pm–6:30pm

Dome after dark: artists & books

Explore a selection of beautiful historical and contemporary illustrated books in this free 'Dome after dark' talk.

Cost: Free

11 August 2017–12 November 2017

Self-made: zines and artist books

Discover the evolution of do-it-yourself publishing in this free exhibition of fanzines, punk zines, underground press publications and artist books designed to buck the commercial gallery system.

Cost: Free

11 August 2017, 11:00am–11:45am

Curator floortalks: 'Self-made'

Hear curator Monica Syrette talk about the free exhibition 'Self-made: zines and artist books', which showcases do-it-yourself publications, artist books and underground publications.

Cost: Free

13 August 2017, 2:00pm–3:00pm

Immersive science: the next frontier in Australian astronomy

Join astronomers Dr Alan Duffy and Dr Katie Mack on an exploration of the Universe in a free immersive science talk blending live events and virtual reality.

Cost: Free

13 August 2017, 3:00pm–3:45pm

'Self-made' tour

See highlights of the 'Self-made: zines and artist books' exhibition of underground publications and artist books in a free guided tour, held every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday except public holidays.

Cost: Free

17 August 2017, 1:00pm–1:45pm

Zine scene

Join 'Self-made' curator Monica Syrette and State Library Arts Librarian John Stevens in a free and exclusive behind-the-scenes viewing of rare zines from the Library’s History of the Book Collection.

Cost: Free

18 August 2017, 7:30pm–8:30pm

Calisthenics in the dome: a tribute to Miss Vera Hopton

Watch a free calisthenics performance in the dome to celebrate the 'Great Lady' of calisthenics, Miss Vera Hopton.

Cost: Free

24 August 2017, 11:00am–12:15pm

Author in-conversation: Robert La Nauze on George Thwaites & sons

Join Robert La Nauze for a talk on 'Made to order', his book on colonial cabinet makers George Thwaites and sons, whose cabinetry graced the finest buildings of ‘marvellous Melbourne'.

Cost: Free

24 August 2017, 6:00pm–6:30pm

Dome after dark: the first royal tour

Revisit the pomp and ceremony of the first ever British royal tour in 1867, in this free 'Dome after dark' talk.

Cost: Free

22 September 2017, 7:00pm–9:00pm

Australian poetry slam Victorian state final

Attend a live literary performance competition where the audience is the judge!

Cost: Free