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Research Library
History of the Library
A library has always been part of the Museum
since its formation in 1986. Then as now, the main role of the library is to
support the collection policy of the Museum and to provide research and
reference material for the Museum and for members of the public involved in
research into maritime heritage.
With support from our Museum volunteers with
library expertise we maintain a fully catalogued library collection, which
enables us to respond to the many queries we receive from
visitors and the public.
The first voluntary Librarian was Mary Long who
oversaw the purchase
and cataloguing of the books to establish a library which
now comprises over 2000 books and some 50 journal or magazine titles.
In 1995 the Museum obtained a grant from the Sidney Myer Foundation to fund a computer system
with cataloguing software and the purchase
of books. The library continues to
receive donations of books, and when funding allows we buy titles to fill gaps in the collection.
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The
Library
Collection
Our main interests are:
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Lifeboats
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Lighthouses
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Fishing,
fishing craft and fishermen
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Wrecks, strandings and associated activities
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Rescue
and salvage
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Diving
and preservation of maritime objects
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The Rip,
Queenscliff/Point Lonsdale and Port Phillip
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Early
maritime history of Victoria
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Navigation and
navigation equipment
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Immigration
and emigration
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Models and
model building of ships and related maritime artefacts
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The library is a research facility and books
are generally not loaned to members of the public. However, books may be
borrowed for a maximum of one month by members of the Committee of Management
and others approved by the Librarian or the Administration Officer, who will organise loan arrangements.
Contact us with your loan request.
Requests for Information / Research
Service
The Museum offers a research service through the
Library for maritime enquiries, especially for details of ships
and shipping arriving in Victoria in the 19th and early 20th
century, and Victorian shipwrecks. Our database enables us to search the
availability of ship illustrations, both sail and steam.
All requests must be received on the
Research Request Form.
A standard fee
applies to
each research topic, to cover the time taken to search our collection and
databases, a limited amount of photocopying or scanning of material plus postage
/ email of our response.
We aim to respond to requests within 2 weeks.
We can not guarantee success in finding the
answers you seek however an apparently unsuccessful search will eliminate some
sources of information.
Please note that we are unable to undertake genealogical searches,
which should be addressed to genealogical societies or public records offices.
Download the
Research Request Form here - right click to save the
target PDF to your system.
Photograph Gallery
The photographs on the left are the
entrance to the library and part of the book collection. Photographs of the covers of some the books in
the collection have been arranged into a gallery.
Click here to view the gallery | 
