State Library of Victoria is much more than an Instagram moment – The Age

Opinion December 5, 2025 — 7.00pm December 5, 2025 — 7.00pm So, the acting chief executive and the State Library board are at war with the librarians. Again. This has been going on, in one shape or another, since about 1913. But this time, it feels as if a tipping point has been reached, or has even been passed. The issue now is whether the State Library is still a library. Or has it become something else? It has certainly become a destination, with its own train station. But when you get off at State Library station, have you arrived at our great public library or just at a heritage building? Changes at the State Library have prompted outcry from writers, researchers and librarians. The banner-bedecked facade promotes exhibition spaces. The impression is confirmed by the phalanx of guides who greet you as you enter and the promotion of “exclusive” $39 tours. Little to suggest it might also be about books, reading and research. What has brought out the hundreds of angry historians, researchers and writers is the library board’s plan to redeploy a significant number of reference librarians. This follows an earlier reduction of their numbers. The purpose of
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