State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia Reviews

Great library with some lovely grass to chill on in the summer.

Nice place for a quick visit... United you want to study, then it is a very comfortable library.

Awesome Library. It is located in the heart of the city. It is only a reference Library and one can't borrow books. Free WiFi is available. The dome inside the Library is a marvellous architecture which has amazing views from the balcony as shown in the pictures.Usually crowded. A must see place if you are in Melbourne.

Great Place to study history because it has lots of history books. I always visit here in my free times to enjoy history books. The ambience is really peaceful which is good for study. I would like to prefer "State Library Victoria".

Recommend for visitors to take elevator to fourth floors for good pictures

Says its open it's however closed Thursday 11th July and Friday 12 July 2019.. Thanks for letting card holders know have been in most of the week didn't see any notification any where. Piss poor effort..

In December 2019 the front half was reopened. It is now light filled and reveals aspects of the original design

Gorgeous Building, plenty of Australian History and Australian texts all around. Free art exhibitions, free wifi and plenty of space to wander.

Great for tourist horrible for people who actually want to study

Stunning building in the heart of Melbourne; the architect is as interesting as the content. Plenty of temporary and permanent exhibits. Don't forget to checkout Ned Kelly's Armour.

The most outstanding state library in Victoria located in the heart of Melbourne....A lot of books collection in this state library...

The library has magnificent Victorian architecture, a rare sight in modern Australia. I was able to find most of the books that i needed. The staff was extremely helpful. You can read books, work on your laptop, free WiFi, visit the museum (it is inside the state library) and spend your time productively. I mean, who reads paper books in the e-book generation? Go, visit the library while you can and experience the long lost art of reading.

One of the best looking libraries set inside an antique building.

The interior is well maintained and is generally quite full.

There is also free Wi-Fi.

Really great just to go have a look around! The reading rooms are very cool!

Get into a few quiet spots upstairs. Also a great place to sit outside and enjoy the sun. I enjoyed the new years fireworks from here!

Just do a stop at this amazing Library in Melbourne. I enjoy the atsmosphere here. New magazine available and have a very relaxing chair to do a read inside.

Just had an experience with a very rude staff member. Didn't realise coffees were not allowed in the library. As we walked through the foyer we were stopped, asked if we worked at the library and when we said no, simple told "coffees. OUT!"

Not a quiet atmosphere like a Korean library, but a bit like a cafe? It's not that loud, but it's an atmosphere where everyone studies hard. It's also one of Melbourne's landmarks, so tourists visit it a lot, so it's not crowded. However, it is definitely well equipped, and everything inside and outside the building is beautiful!

Old, very calm, suitable for reading real books Can allow water to drink as well Very beautiful interior architecture recommended.

Beautiful Building. A lot of spaces to just read and relax.

Fantastic space for studying - however, it is always so hot in the third floor room, and its constantly full of tourists

I'm a regular user of the State Library. I love it. It provides a wide range of spaces from collaborative talking areas to silent study desks.

The facilities are excellent. In particular their WiFi is free and for the most part very fast. The chairs are comfortable with one notable exception of the chairs in the dome - they're wood and awful to sit on for prolonged periods.

It is central and surrounded by cafes and restaurants that are useful for a quick refuel before returning to the books/eBooks.

Big, quiet and beautiful. Perfect place to get some work done. Bonus: free WiFi.

A perfect place to be. You can read books, play chess, search links on the computer or visit the art gallery. For adults, children and young people. You can enjoy the architectural view.

Best place to read the Journals.....plus Free WiFi.

Photo opportunity! This library is housed in one of Melbourne's most photogenic heritage buildings. It is worth taking the lift up to level 4 then walking up to levels 5-6 to snap 'the dome'. Tristan the volunteer guide on level 4 was super helpful in giving advice as to where good photos can be taken.
Study opportunity! There are plenty of desks for people to read and study. There are over 2 million items in the library collection, with roughly 20 percent available on site (there is roughly a 24 hour turn around for off site items). Note, this is not a borrowing library; all books must remain in the building. Overall, it is a great place for a casual visit or study - well worth visiting for either.

Love the way that the library is so kid friendly nowadays. My kids had a ball running around the play space and of course, playing those electronic games.

Great place to chill. Outside 2 sets of big chess, great to play with people hanging around there and social. =D

The best public library ever! Public workstations, free wifi and peaceful. Free entry, exhibitions and a visit to the Dome is a must! Extra points for the coffee shops near the entry.
Do be as quiet as possible, this is a library afterall

Fave hangout to kill time...and watch giant chess play in action.

This is by far the most interesting place in melbourne. I could easily spend the day in the historical, beautiful building with friendly and helpful staff. Great way to relax, find a nice book or magazine and just chill. There are also chess boards in the middle of the dome. Good WiFi and clean toilets. In love with this library.

I enjoy studying there. It s not too noisy or too quite which is good.

Beautiful location in the heart of Melbourne CBD and a great place to study, but the toilets appear unsanitary and in desperate need of a facelift and renovation.

One of the best state libraries in the country, it has a beautiful reading room.

Sit on the steps or benches and take in Swanston St

One of the must-visit attractions in Melbourne. It has a total of six floors, and on the top floor, you can fully see the beauty of the library.
It is one of the largest libraries in the world. The library also displays many Victorian cultural life history and current status items. The Victoria State Library was established in 1854. It is a very magnificent octagonal hall. Great place

Pretty place but with a temperamental wifi that is not always reliable

A place I like very much. The library building is very large and the interior decoration is amazing. It is like the place where Harry Potter movies will appear. There are many people in the outdoor turf space for picnics, sunbathing, and many interesting statues. It is a good place for emptying. , The location is also great, right next to the downtown area

Really cool place to look around especially with ned kellys armour

Great place to do things that you need quiet and concentration for

Beautiful library, lovely staff, amazing architecture, however sadly on the weekends this library turns into a tourist attraction which is extremely distracting. I suggest avoiding the library on the weekends, unless u enjoy the sound of screaming children and their moms running after them. I do hope the library at least limits the tourist visitors in the quite sections. No one can study when at least 20 people are passing by every 5 minutes. yes I have counted lol

one of the most beautiful and elegant library in the world.

Spent some time studying in the reading room and also took the free tour at 2pm. Highly recommend

Fabulous architecture, exhibits and collection of rare manuscripts and works

Absolutely amazing. I had no idea, that there was such culture in this building!

The State Library of Victoria is not only a nice building plus library, but also hosts some exhibitions. Here you can see very old books from 800 that where hand-copied or the bible from the time of Gutenberg book-printing. Very lovely are also the short clips about some of the library treasures and the old paintings. The library includes a pretty coffee shop and an area where magazines and neswpaper can be read. The access to the library and to its wifi is free of charge.

If only they had better computers, but its the best place to visit

Amazing building, many different study rooms, high speed wifi, on russel street entrance there is a nice book store where do find interesting reading and presents, coffe is nice but little expensive.

Quiet for study and has some great pieces for tourists. The ned kelly death mask is a must see!

Really cool library, you can just come here and play chess with people!

Very beautiful architecture

staff is very friendly and found no problem with the internet. The location is also goods and facilities are amazing.

Incredibly fast Internet. Lots of work spaces. Why pay for a co-working space?

bad service. apparently "screaming isn't allowed here sir"

Beyond fantastic ! Building itself is a master-piece.

The staff is lovely and they have a good selection of modern poetry authors.

This is an amazing place! And I m not taking about the quality of the library in terms of its collection, but the architecture both inside and outside. There s a huge dome in the main reading area, with temporary exhibitions on the corridors around it. In general a great place to visit even if you re not looking for books and are just in town visiting like me