Building a new world: a history of the state library of Victoria 1853-1913

For the young colony of Victoria, the 1850s was a time of optimism and hunger for social change. Buoyed by gold-rush wealth and the freedom to create a new kind of society, key thinkers in government, arts and industry set about creating an ambitious urban vision for Melbourne as a modern city combining the best of old Europe with the spirit of progress, democracy and opportunity for all. One of the grandest innovations at this time was the building of Australia's first public library in 1853. The Melbourne Public Library (as it was then known) was envisaged as a pantheon of the world's knowledge, open to any citizen over the age of 14 - provided they had clean hands - and offering free access to self-education unmatched by any other public institution in the nation. This colourful tale of a century of institutional and architectural reform provides a fascinating insight into the development of Melbourne as Australia's cultural capital.