State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia Review

Best
Free wifi
State Library Scale-chan

Gorgeous building, free exhibits, and lots of chairs and tables to sit and read or work at. I loved the view from the top floor. I will definitely be spending more time here!

Beautiful place! I used to go here often to get some work done. The have a couple of art salons and they change the exhibition every now and then so there is always something different and fresh. The only downside here is the WIFI too many people so it's slow! Great place to take pictures!

Very quiet and calm. The coffee shops and gift shops are away from the books and study area. The floors and furniture creak a small bit but it has such a wide open floor plan, you will not be bothered. I do hope I am able to visit again. There is stained glass to discover too. Keep an eye out for it. Keep your voice down too

There are many people who are learning by themselves.

I received excellent advice from Jean Holland, Conservator, from the State Library of Victoria about my private book collection. I cannot rate Jean higher. Thank you so much Jean. Keep up the great work!

One of the most interesting libraries I've seen! This place is not your normal library! Not only has it got an unusual design but it has about 3 levels of a museum type set up where you can walk around each level and find out interesting facts about Australia, Melbourne and its surrounding areas, history and also art work too. It's both visually impressive and serves its primary purpose of being a good sized functional library.

Beautiful building with some really lovely and interesting exhibits. It was a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon!

My journey stopped here
Hopefully to come back again

Lovely library

It is a very nice library, but, it is a shame for a library to be closed at 06 or 09:00 PM. I am writing and rating not only this library but all of the ones in Melbourne. Most people work in weekdays and leave work after 4 or 5 PM, so when they arrive at the library, they have very little time to spend there. I think all libraries must be open until 11 PM. Thinking about library staff, they can be paid for overtime when they work after 07 to 11 PM in the evenings. To pay their overtime, membership payments could be taken from people who use libraries after 07 PM.

In some countries, libraries are open 24/7!

And please do not forget;

"Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation."

It was a masterpiece, and when I entered the library, I couldn't feel it from the photos.
There were quite a few tables in the library with not only books but also chess sets.
Chess seemed so popular that he played huge chess in front of the library entrance.
There were also a few tables with shogi sets.

Beautiful reading room and a nice quiet haven from the streets of Melbourne.

Amazing library, have to go see the reading room and the galleries. Ned Kellys armour is also here

The atmosphere is very good and big, there are lights on every table, the key is that the design is super nice!

Fantastic staff who are very helpful, can be difficult to find a table to sit during busy periods however

State Library of Victoria is located at Swanston Street, Melbourne. It is approximately 2 minutes walk from Melbourne Central. The State Library is very huge. The most beautiful area in the library is the Dome Galleries (Level 4). If you wish to catch a great picture of the Dome, you can visit level 5 or 6 which are Exhibition Areas. Exhibition Areas usually closes early (Everyday 10 - 6pm except Thursday 10 - 9pm). Plan ahead before visiting the Dome. Do take note that you cannot bring drinks (other than plain water/ tap water) into the library.

Just stay sit down in the grass and relax. You will see all the Melbourne population coming trough

A must-visit if you are in the Melbourne CBD area. There are free exhibits in the galleries that can be very interesting and informative.

It s a beautiful library, if you go I would recommend taking the tour.

In October 2018, the library was upgraded and the front door fence was sealed. It needed to enter from the side door.

The Victoria State Library was one of the highlights of my trip to Melbourne. There are free exhibits and the building itself is simply stunning!

Closed for an unimaginable long period of time since 2003, the Ian Potter Queen's Hall has reopened in December 2019.

Supported by towering columns this light-filled hall has been beautifully restored and tastefully furnished. In particular the skylights, which prior to the latest renovations, were painted over.

A mezzanine level includes a significant chess and bridge collection. It is staggering the number of books on each of these - for example eight bookcases contain books solely on chess.

There are also a few pics of the La Trobe Reading Room / Reference Library.

Incredibly beautiful, but more of a tourist photo backdrop than a functional library. La Trobe reading Room is very noisy. People talking constantly, smartphones ringing. Other parts of the library are a bit better, but only because there is less echo. Lots of rude visitors and staff doesn't seem to be bothered by the noise level.

Great collection. Helpful staffs. Good Internet connectivity.

A beautiful library and a great space to escape with a book or crack out your laptop and get your work done.

All of the services you'd expect from a modern library, though with some awesome extras too. The art gallery spaces are great to wander through and take in all that's on offer.

The La Trobe reading room is absolutely spectacular and it's well worth a visit just for this alone.

Great space, but everyone speaks too loud and nobody cares

Free WiFi. Free entrance. Very popular amongst students. Has a big gallery of paintings.

Nice place to visit and take photos eventhough you're not there to study.

Beautiful historical building, State Library Victoria is truly the treasure of Melbourne City.

Love it. Just love it. Take my pot plant (Lucas) with me every Wednesday for a nice relaxing read of my favourite (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)
Just LOVE it. I absolutely love it :)

Place is very beautiful but a bit noisy for a place called library

Pleasant place. Very nice interior. Inside there are different exposures. If there is enough time (or bad weather), you can allocate an hour and a half for a visit. Free entrance.

Great place to go if you want a quiet place to study or do research. They also have video games if you don't feel like studying :p

The internet inside never works, part from that, the library provides good individual study space almost at all times

Beautiful library. Great chess collection and chess boards

Can anyone tell me why this is the only state library that the staff have to treat people like little children?

Great library, many tourists, not very quiet, many people study

Giant chess boards, piano, wifi and powerpoints for my laptop. Everything you need and lots of stuff you want

Beautiful public building with great stories and collections. A must for those who loves knowledge and culture.

Great public facility, unfortunately it is common for patrons to dump books on a desk in an attempt to reserve a particular space and not return for several hours. This is not ideal especially during busy periods. Tourist also do not realise the Latrobe Reading Room is just that, a 'reading room'. It is awkward when you are studying and groups of tourist are making unnecessary noise whilst photographing the room.

Beautiful architecture, great services and my study away from home.

Beautiful library. There is a fabulous "Play Pod" where children can play, do crafts, dress up, read books and more. The Play Pod has a different theme each month based on a children's book. Childrens books are labelled according to age groups. The space is a fabulous way to entertain kids on a cold and/or wet day. We had so much fun!

Liked the old photos on display. Old real estate map showed my old paper round by coincidence

Cafe atmosphere. It's new. The building is also pretty, and it's good to sit still on the outside stairs and think about it.

We went to the library yesterday with our two children (baby / toddler).

We were particularly impressed by the free play area. There was a wooden bus here, various wooden cars. Building blocks, many books especially on the topic of "market". You could tinker fruits and vegetables at different tables. There was a game stand with a cash register. There was also a small corner for babies where there were various grasping toys. There were also various costumes and a theater. For her parents there were different bean bags to rest on. We were all happy to take an hour off here.
The room is from the main entrance in the second door on the left.

We also looked at the grandiose dome and it was worth seeing.

This library is fantastic..the structure and the design is great..both outside and inside..but i feel sorry for people who is using the library for read and study since this library is also one of the tourists attraction..i hope the government could find a win win solution,both for tourists and the library members

I had been meaning to come here for many many years. Finally saw an exhibition here the other week. Beautiful architecture, and pleasant environment. Great to get away from the busy Melbourne hustle and bustle