Instituting The Past: The inner mechanics of the PMI Victorian History Library
Instituting The Past: The inner mechanics of the PMI Victorian History Library is a blog from the members and staff of the PMI Victorian History Library.
For the last 170 years we have been a community owned and run library specialising in the history of Victoria, Australia. The library collection is the only lending collection of its kind in Australia – with over 30,000 books for loan and over 40,000 items on site, including titles that are unavailable elsewhere.
This blog contains news about the library and research happening within it’s walls. We have everything from professional historians, to fiction writers, to architects and family historians visiting us, so this blog will always have something interesting. We also include book reviews from both our members and our staff.
We hope you enjoy Instituting The Past and if you’re interested in the library come down and say hello, our professional staff are always happy to help with any historical queries you might have.
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A Contemporary Collection in a History Library: COVID-19 Lockdowns and the PMI Victorian History Library collection
by PMI Librarian | Jan 30, 2025 | Blog, Collections, Placement Students
Originally Posted 4 Oct 2024 From non-fiction accounts of Victorian cities, towns and communities to Australian fiction by local authors, the PMI Victorian History Library offers an extensive range of materials that tell the stories of the state and its people. While...

Joan Law- Smith – A Gardener’s Diary
by PMI Librarian | Jan 30, 2025 | Blog, Collections, Placement Students
Originally Posted 26 July 2024 In the PMI Victoria History Library’s catalogue there is a strange and beautifully illustrated book titled A Gardener’s Diary, by Joan Law-Smith. Published in 1976, it is not a diary in the sense of an author’s record of daily events and...

A Handbook on E.W. Cole, His Book Arcade, Tokens and Medals by George D. Dean
by PMI Librarian | Jan 30, 2025 | Blog, Collection Spotlight, Collections, Placement Students
Originally Posted 24 Nov 2023 I grew up in Melbourne’s North West with two shift working parents. My parents were both fans of op-shops, fetes, garage sales and markets. Money was never plentiful, but I always had things to keep myself amused. My brothers and I were...

Two Towns
by PMI Librarian | Jan 30, 2025 | Blog, Collections, Volunteers
Originally Posted 19 Oct 2023 Tynong: Don Jolly’s Notebook By Glenn L. Jolly In PMI’s collection they have a selection of books that focus on the different regions, towns, and such in Victoria. One book in this section of the library focuses on a little town and their...

Miles Franklin’s Brilliant Career and Legacy
by PMI Librarian | Jan 30, 2025 | Blog, Collections, Placement Students
Originally Posted 13 Sept 2023 When I first arrived at the PMI Victorian History Library I noticed the Miles Franklin Award Winning Book for 2023 displayed at the front desk. I had often thought of exploring more about Miles Franklin and over the next few days while...
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