This event offers a special opportunity to visit some behind-the-scenes areas of State Library Victoria. It's an exclusive opportunity for the HCV Friends, kindly made possible by State Library Victoria, a member of the HCV.

To join the HCV Friends, please sign up here.

Itinerary

Please note that the Swanston Street entrance to the Library will be closed from 21 September onwards, to enable major redevelopments in the building. The Russell Street entrance will open on the same date to allow regular admission to the Library.

Our group will assemble inside Entrance 3 on Latrobe Street (between Russell and Swanston Streets) (see yellow highlighter on the map image, below).

With guidance from the Library's expert staff, we expect to visit the following sections of the Library:

• Some La Trobe collection areas, including the Riley Political Ephemera Collection and the Theatre Programmes collection
• The digitising studio
• The conservation laboratory

We expect to leave the Library at about 3.30 pm on the Russell Street side of the building. In doing so, we will see some of the changes that are taking place as part of the Library's Vision 2020 redevelopment project.

This event is free of charge for HCV Friends, and is organised exclusively for them. Our Friends are warmly invited to book a place in the tour group by clicking the RSVP button at the foot of this page. If you see a "Sold Out" button, you can join the wait-list by sending an email to [email protected]. 

Following the tour...

All participants are warmly invited to continue the discussion over afternoon tea, at own expense. (We have reserved a table at the Moat in Little Lonsdale Street.)

Please note:

We will be on our feet for most of the tour and may have to climb some stairs, so please wear comfortable shoes.

The itinerary provided here is indicative. There may be some slight changes on the day if circumstances require.