Research the history of activism, protests, rallies and campaigners in Victoria using pamphlets, posters, badges, images, articles, interviews and books.
The State Library of Victoria collects a variety of materials relating to:
A highlight is our Riley & Ephemera Collection, which includes pamphlets, posters, badges and other ephemeral materials. The bias of this collection is left-wing, reflecting the position of its founding donor, Fred Riley, and the nature of the organizations who rely on promoting their causes through ephemeral items like leaflets. However attempts are made to collect from all points of view.
Our collections are especially strong in these subject areas:
There are also ephemera files for most suburbs of Melbourne and many Victorian towns, which contain material relating either to:
Another significant component of the collection are ephemera files of material for many other countries, particularly those countries which have undergone political struggles that have engendered local support groups, for example East Timor, Chile, Greece, El Salvador, Afghanistan.
The Library also holds a wide range of material relating to governments, politicians and political parties in the government and law and manuscript collections, as well as the Riley & Ephemera Collection. This guide does not cover how to research political parties and politicians, but it will help you discover who supported and opposed their proposals and decisions.
Engage with fully searchable collections of primary sources relating to sexuality and identity. Comprises LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940, Parts I and II; Sex and Sexuality, Sixteenth to Twentieth Century; L'enfer de la Bibliothèque nationale de France; and International Perspectives on LGBTQ Activism and Culture featuring Australian periodicals from 1970s-2000s.
Spotlight Discover more about this resource in our Online Collection Spotlight: Archives of Sexuality and Gender blog post.
Browse a compilation of rare and unique archival collections covering a wide range of fringe political movements from 1900s to 2010s.
Spotlight Discover more about this resource in our Online Collection Spotlight: Political Extremism and Radicalism blog post.
Discover essential primary sources documenting the changing representations and lived experiences of gender roles and relations from the nineteenth century to the present. This expansive collection offers sources for the study of women's suffrage, the feminist movement, the men’s movement, employment, education, the body, the family, and government and politics.
Yandell Walton, Rebecca McIntosh & Dell Stewart, I own MY BITS!, H2000.50/10
