As some may know and some may not, but the State Library of Victoria offers tours. This week I fulfilled a long awaited desire and explored this gem of a building. There are various tours on offer and every Monday at 1.30pm they run a Dome to Catacomb tour.
In a group of approximately 12 we were shepherded through the stunning reading rooms, to the top of the magnificent dome and back down through the 'behind the scenes' while learning all about the library's history, the scandals and people involved, the history of the building and the history of the collections.
Now while I'm generally not a library lady, I prefer to own my books; I really enjoyed exploring this gem in our city. The building itself is magnificent and you name it you can research it there. I was stunned by the hundreds of people scattered over the many floors and rooms, from students to white collar workers to general public, all working diligently and quietly at the many desks.
Our tour guide (a library volunteer) was full of little tidbits of info about how the library works, how the library came about and how the building became what it is today. (I remember it being a museum when I was a child)
Let me tell you, the idea of working in such a beautiful space really got my creative juices flowing and I have a feeling I might have to pack up the laptop some day, stake out a desk and let inspiration take over. It's the perfect place to research and write and the surrounds just demand diligence and no procrastination. How can you not be inspired to create wonderful words in the home of wonderful words.
So whether you're a writer, a dedicated book nerd, interested in history, architecture or just have some time to kill one day; check out a behind the scenes tour of your local research library.......
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU MIGHT LEARN
Tour info: https://www.slv.vic.gov.au
