Tips for finding when small events happened
All events will involve people in some way, from those involved directly, those involved subsequently, to those who report on the event.
If you know a particular person may have been involved in an event, biographical detail of that person might help locate the date of an event.
Also every event will have taken place somewhere. Often histories of places associated with an event may be useful.
For further sources on people and places related to Victoria see the In house indexes box.
The Library has access to a range of biographical databases.
These are also available offsite to registered Victorian users.
Events will often be associated with people.
If tracking an event is proving elusive, try looking at biographies relating to people who may have have had some association with the event.
Sometimes you will find a reference even if those people only had a minor or passing association with the event.
If the event is mentioned in a biography, check any footnotes relating to that passage of the book. It may refer you to other sources.
to find biographies of a specific person, search the Library catalogue. Limit searching to 'Subject' as in the 'John Wren' example below.
You may be searching for people associated with a particular type of activity or occupation in relation to an event.
You can often find information on individuals by using a search engine.
There are also specific online portals that might be helpful.
You might remember that an event took place in a particular town or area. There will often be histories written about a locality or town, no matter how small the place may currently be.
It will often be worthwhile to search such histories to try and locate information on an event and when it occurred.
If the event is mentioned, check any footnotes associated with that passage. It may refer you to other sources that you were not aware of.
To find histories of areas or towns go to the Library catalogue. Do a keyword search using name of the town or area and the term history.
For instance -Yarrawonga and history.
State Library Victoria is a research library and you cannot borrow material.
However if you live in Victoria and register for a card you can access our online databases of journals, newspapers and ebooks from outside the Library.
The card also enables you to order items to be brought out of storage.
Australian patent registrations began on 1st June 1904. Prior to this, each colonial state had its own system of registration (See separate links in this guide).
Are you searching for a patent registered in Australia ?
Do you know?
If you have some or all of these details , search IP Australia's online AusPat database. It includes Australian patents from 1904 to current patents.
Steps to find and request Australian patents:
1. Search the AusPat database to find the full specification of the patent. Many but not all patents are on AusPat.
2. If you cannot find the patent on AusPat, search the print or microfiche indexes to find the patent number and year, or ask a librarian for help. The State Library holds print and microfiche copies of Australian patents from 1904 up to 1999. A librarian can check AusPat or patent indexes up to 2011 to find the patent number and the year.
3. Once you have the patent number and year, ask a librarian to request the print or microfiche copy.
Australian patents have complex numbering sequences that changed over the years, and the same patent number will have been allocated to different patents, by different inventors, in different date cycles. To retrieve printed patents, it is necessary to identify both a patent's number and its date.
See the Australian Patent Number Sequences box on this page.
