What to do with your political pamphlets and how-to-vote cards

The State Library of Victoria have put out a call out to save all 2018 State Election (24th November) campaign material received over the coming weeks.

By collecting pamphlets, how-to-vote cards and candidate posters relating to the 2018 State Election we can ensure Victoria's political history is illuminated for generations of researchers. Better than just throwing things into the recycling bin!

It's easy to donate - just post items to:

Riley & Ephemera Collection
c/o Victorian & Australian Published Collections
Collection Development & Discovery
State Library of Victoria
328 Swanston Street
Melbourne VIC 3000


Quote DX 210089, to post items free of charge.

Donors should include their name and contact details if they would like an acknowledgment of their donation. Unfortunately we can only accept hardcopy donations (not scanned copies, or photographs).



To read more about the Riley & Ephemera Collection, which includes materials relating to grassroots, international, and government campaigns, dating from the 1890s to today, visit: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/our-collections/what-we-collect/ephemera/political-ephemerahttp://www.slv.vic.gov.au/our-collections/collectors-their-collections/fred-riley

FAQs

They want printed election campaign material: leaflets, how-to-vote cards, letters to constituents, stickers, badges or posters. Basically anything printed to promote a party of candidate, or to lobby on election issues. No items – or issues – is too small.

Original published material, rather than photocopies, scans or digital files

The collection emphasises ephemera published in Victoria, and material relating to Victorian events, people and institutions. This includes Victorian state and local government elections and Victorian seats in federal handbills, as well as protests, activism, social justice and alternative viewpoints in Victoria.

The State Library of Victoria collects a variety of materials relating to:
· activism
· trade unions
· environmental groups
· feminist organisations
· anti-war groups
· student organisations
· anti-poverty groups
· grassroots campaigns and campaigners
· other radical, dissident, advocacy or protest groups


What about ephemera from past elections?

Yes! They are always looking to fill gaps in the collection.

Why does the State Library think it’s important to archive these ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ items?

Ephemera provides an important record of Victorian social life, customs, popular culture and political viewpoints. When ephemeral items are collected and saved, they offer a window into the events, beliefs, and design styles of a point in time. They also document the policies of political parts and politicians over time.

Even though it is produced in vast quantities during a campaign, this material is quickly discarded or recycled.

It is used in many ways by many people, including students, historians, journalists, biographers – and sometimes even politicians themselves.

The Library have published a guide to finding items in the Riley & Ephemera Collection, called Protests, activism & dissent in Victoria: https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/dissent

Early aerodromes of Melbourne

Aviation has played a pivotal role in the history of Moonee Valley. Roger Meyer from the Civil Aviation Authority will present an illustrated talk on the history of aerodromes around Melbourne featuring the Essendon Airport.

Tuesday 9 October 2018

6.30 - 7.30pm

At Niddrie Library, 483 Keilor Rd Niddrie, Victoria 3042

Please contact library staff in person or call 8325 1925 if you require access for a wheelchair or disability scooter before attending an event so that we can ensure appropriate seating is arranged.
Book Online: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/early-aerodromes-of-melbourne-tickets-49024505616

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Karen Price is a local artist who loves the rich variety of domestic architecture that can be found throughout Moonee Valley and nearby areas.

On Thursday evening (19th March 2018), to mark the start of National Trust Heritage Week, Avondale Heights Library and Learning Centre will host the opening of Karen Price’s new art exhibition Here Today, Gone Tomorrow. The exhibition includes 34 pen and watercolour paintings.

Concerned at the frequent sudden appearance of vacant blocks in recent years, often in spots where she couldn’t quite remember what used to there, (and perhaps also influenced by once having lived in a house later pulled down so the mansion next door could add a tennis court), Karen decided to document in ink and watercolour a selection of domestic dwellings from Moonee Ponds, Essendon, Ascot Vale, Strathmore and Travancore.

Karen chooses the homes to paint based mostly on their aesthetic appeal, as well as looking for clear sight lines and trying to include a variety of architectural styles in the series. She makes no claims of being an architectural expert, but she has tried to concentrate on houses that appear to be more or less as they were originally designed. Her method is to roam the streets with a camera, and then to work from her photographs.

Currently Karen is working on a series of works documenting the course of the Maribyrnong River, after which she may return to paintings of Moonee Valley buildings.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow opens at Avondale Heights Library and Learning Centre on Thursday 19th April at 5.30 pm to 7.00pm. The exhibition runs from Thursday 19th April to Friday 18th May.

All images in this post © Karen Price.

Heritage Week Talk: Public institutions in Flemington and Kensington

We have an upcoming talk on the history of public institutions in Flemington and Kensington, happening on Wednesday 18 April, 6.30pm-7.30pm, at Flemington Library.
History enthusiast John Dickie, Chair of the Flemington Association Committee, will share his expert knowledge on the establishment and history of local institutions in the Flemington and Kensington area. Learn the history of our library, the police station, churches and various other local institutions.

Please contact library staff in person or call 8325 1975 if you require access for a wheelchair or disability scooter before attending an event so that we can ensure appropriate seating is arranged. Moonee Valley Libraries uses Eventbrite for all event bookings. When booking, you will be required to provide your name and contact details. The Eventbrite privacy policy can be found via the Privacy link at the bottom of the page.

Old News

Have you ever wanted to track down a local news article that you saw a while back, but forgot to cut and keep?

This, of course, is one of those little jobs where we at the library might be able to help. We have several resources to try if you're after old news articles from the 20th or late 19th century (from indexes of articles to microfilmed reels of old papers), but this post will focus on how you might go about searching for more recent articles, ones from this millennium.

Here are some of the special resources we offer: Newsbank Here you can search a browse local papers (as well as many others) including: -The Moonee Valley Weekly (2007-2013) -The Weekly Review (Moonee Valley) (2016-2018) -The Leader, Moonee Valley (2000-2017)

ANZ Reference Centre: This makes these papers (amongst others) searchable: -The Moonee Valley Weekly (Nov 2010-May 2013) -The Leader, Moonee Valley (May 2009- Mar 2018)

To access Newsbank and ANZ Ref Centre, go to our Online Resources page, click on Newspapers and Magazines, and then click on the relevant button. If you're outside of the library, you'll also need to log in with your Moonee Valley library barcode number from your library card.

We also have some of the local papers since 2000 microfilmed and available at Sam Merrifield Library for use with the local history PC. However, as Newsbank and ANZ Ref Centre allow you to search and browse much more easily, I'd try them first.