PROV on Flickr

Have you checked out the Public Records Office of Victoria's Flickr account? With thousands of images looking at all aspects of Victorian life, this is well worth a look. From transport images like the test run of the Spirit of Progress train down to Geelong and back before it began it's service to Albury daily, to images of the construction of the City Loop, the collapse of the West Gate Bridge, the fashions of Victoria over the years and so much more.

So if you feel nostalgic or want to learn more about Victoria's past, visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/public-record-office-victoria/

Family History Fun

Still looking to learn more about your family history now that Family History Month is over? The Moonee Valley Libraries Family History Group might be the perfect place to come and learn how to solve those hard to figure out family links and road blocks.

Members of the Family History Group during their anniversary celebration.

Having just celebrated it's second year the group is continuing to attract new members, but they are always looking for more. With guest speakers and trips to help teach you how to find out more about your past, the Family History Group is a lot of fun.

Meetings take place weekly on Tuesdays at 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm at the Sam Merrifield Library, 762 Mt Alexander Rd, Moonee Ponds VIC 3039.

Gotta find out about Local History!

Do you know much about the history of Moonee Valley? Do you know about the monuments and historical markers that are all around us? If you don't then you might want to start playing Pokemon Go!

That's right, Pokemon Go! can teach you all about the history and culture of Moonee Valley and other parts of Melbourne and beyond. The game uses historical markers to get people walking and rewards them for visiting the markers.

Did you know about the Maud Ripper Memorial, or the history of the Curator's Cottage in Queen's Park? What about the plaques to Destroyers from the Second World War and the historic flood markers along the Maribyrnong River?

By playing Pokemon Go people of all ages are discovering their local area and some of the important historical markers and monuments that they hold. So if you have nothing planned this weekend, download Pokemon and discover the history of Moonee Valley.

For a first-hand account of a person's discovery of their local area's history read: http://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/07/discovering-real-world-treasures-with-pokemon-go/

Gonna go back in time

If you have been on our catalogue in the past few hours you might have noticed that it isn't working. Like many public libraries in Melbourne at the moment our catalogue has been suffering from problems from our providers end. What this means is that the catalogue currently won't load.

Image sourced: State Library of Victoria. Original image by Dennis Mayor

But don't worry! If you were looking at getting some Family or Local History research done today or over the weekend you still can. It might not look pretty, but our classic catalogue is still running and has links to Ancestry, Find My Past and all the other History resources in our collection.

To access the catalogue visit: www.classiccat.mvcc.vic.gov.au

We'll keep you updated as to when things get back to normal.

NB: The catalogue is back up and running!

Ask a Librarian for #familyhistorymonth

Image sourced from National Library of Australia

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/National.Library.of.Australia

As part of National Family History Month the National Library of Australia and Trove are working together to answer your family questions. Today from 4:00pm AEST jump on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/National.Library.of.Australia and ask them anything that might help you with your family history.

If you need any more help with discovering your Family History come into any Moonee Valley library branch and ask one of our friendly staff for advice.