Our founders believed that access to knowledge was critical for the development of a civil and prosperous community, and created the Library as ‘the people’s university’ – a place of learning and discovery for all Victorians. They also charged the Library with preserving Victoria’s heritage by collecting items of historical and cultural significance for future generations.
These are responsibilities that remain a critical focus today. Each year we add more than 70,000 heritage items to the Library’s rich collection and lead the sector with our ambitious digitisation programs. We also work hard to adapt and remain relevant to our Library users, as well as reach out to new audiences. As a result, Library patronage has continued to increase, with almost two million physical visits to the Library annually and over 4.3 million annual online visits.
