Welcome to the new A-Z databases. Use this page to explore online databases available at the Library or from home with your Library membership. This page also lists free websites selected by our Librarians to support your research. They provide access to a wide range of resources, including ebooks, audiobooks, newspapers, magazines, journals articles, primary sources, images, music, and much more.
To access most eresources from home, you need to be a Victorian resident with a current membership. Register for free now
The following databases are newly acquired or being evaluated for a future subscription.
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.
New in June 2025: the State Library subscription now includes archival material from part 6 - Community and Identity in North America.
Spotlight Discover more about this resource in our Online Collection Spotlight: Archives of Sexuality and Gender blog post.
Bloomsbury Fashion Masterclasses provides cutting-edge insights from industry innovators.
They cover topics such as phygital design, sustainability, marketing, merchandising, supply chain management, and ethics.
Bloomsbury Dress and Costume Library brings together essential resources, including primary source material as well as exclusive eBooks, video and reference content, for students and researchers of dress history, film and theatre costume, costume design and construction.
Bloomsbury Historic Dress in Detail centers on exclusive videos with complementary resources and articles, ideal for teaching and study. They explore historical context and materials, fastenings and garment details, how garments were made, and how they were worn.
Search British metropolitan and regional newspapers from the British Library's newspaper collection, predominantly from the 19th century. Includes some titles into the 20th century.
The State Library subscription includes Part I through Part V (covering the period 1732 to 1950) as well as Part VI: Ireland, 1783-1950.
New in June 2025: the Library's subscription now includes Part VII: Southeast Asia, 1806–1977, featuring newspapers from Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.
Spotlight Discover more about this resource in our Online Collection Spotlight: British Library Newspapers (1732–1950) blog post.
Discover a comprehensive set of ebook titles covering a full spectrum of topics in fashion including construction, draping, fashion business management, history, illustration, journalism, marketing, promotion, theory, pattern making, styling, product development, sustainable fashion, textiles, and more.
Discover a resource providing historical evidence which demonstrates how society has interacted with and regarded individuals considered to have disabilities.
Disability is a definition imposed by society on people who may or may not agree to being characterized that way. It should also be noted that not all disabilities are visible. According to the World Health Organization, disability is part of being human. Almost everyone will temporarily or permanently experience disability at some point in their life. Disability results from the interaction between individuals with a health condition, such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, or depression, with personal and environmental factors including negative attitudes, inaccessible transportation and public buildings, and limited social support.
Spotlight Discover more about this resource in our Online Collection Spotlight: History of Disabilities: Disabilities in Society, Seventeenth to Twentieth Century blog post.
Read online or download books from Oxford University Press and numerous partner presses via Oxford Academic covering subjects including arts and humanities, law, medicine and health, science and mathematics, and social sciences.
Spanning more than 160 years of retail history, this resource uses company archives, trade journals and union records to explore a variety of fundamental social and business study themes, and the changing retail landscape. Highlights emerging shopping habits and the transformation of consumer needs, social expectations, and technological advancements in rapidly industrialising societies around the world, particularly the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
Discover more about this eresource in our Online Collection Spotlight blog series
Discover a resource providing historical evidence which demonstrates how society has interacted with and regarded individuals considered to have disabilities.
Disability is a definition imposed by society on people who may or may not agree to being characterized that way. It should also be noted that not all disabilities are visible. According to the World Health Organization, disability is part of being human. Almost everyone will temporarily or permanently experience disability at some point in their life. Disability results from the interaction between individuals with a health condition, such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, or depression, with personal and environmental factors including negative attitudes, inaccessible transportation and public buildings, and limited social support.
Spotlight Discover more about this resource in our Online Collection Spotlight: History of Disabilities: Disabilities in Society, Seventeenth to Twentieth Century blog post.
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