Editing State Library Victoria (section)

{{Short description|State library in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2015}}

{{Infobox library|
| library_name = State Library Victoria
| image = State Library of Victoria - right side.jpg
| caption = State Library Victoria
| library_logo = 
| location = [[Melbourne central business district|Melbourne]], [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]
| established = {{start date and age|1854}}
| collection_size = 3,892,523 collection items electronically registered <ref name=report202223>{{cite web |title=Library Board of Victoria Annual Report 2022-23 |url=https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/SLV_Annual_Report_2023_FINAL_WEB_0.pdf |access-date=7 March 2024}}</ref>
| pop_served = 2,113,118 <ref name=report202223 />
| num_employees = 311 FTE<ref name=report202223 />
| website = {{URL|slv.vic.gov.au}}
| coordinates = {{coord|display=inline,title|-37.809801|144.964787|type:landmark_region:AU-VIC}}
| country = [[Australia]]
| legal_deposit = Legal deposit library for the State of Victoria
| req_to_access = Free to access
| members = 87,073
| module = {{Infobox designation list
| embed                   = yes
| designation1            = VICHR
| designation1_offname    = State Library of Victoria
| designation1_type       = State Registered Place
| designation1_criteria   = 
| designation1_date       = August 20, 1982
| delisted1_date          = 
| designation1_partof     = 
| designation1_number     = H1497<ref name=heritage>{{cite web|title=State Library of Victoria |url=https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/812|website=[[Victorian Heritage Register|Victorian Heritage Database]]|publisher=[[Government of Victoria]]|access-date=27 November 2023}}</ref>
| designation1_free1name  = Heritage Overlay number
| designation1_free1value = HO751<ref name=heritage />
}}
}}

'''State Library Victoria''' ('''SLV''') is the [[list of national and state libraries|state library]] of [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia. Located in [[Melbourne]], it was established in 1854 as the '''Melbourne Public Library''', making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the world. It is also Australia's busiest public library<ref>{{Cite web |last=Victoria |first=Creative |date=2023-06-26 |title=Two million reasons to love State Library Victoria |url=https://creative.vic.gov.au/news/2023/two-million-reasons-to-love-state-library-victoria |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=Creative Victoria |language=en}}</ref> and, as of 2023, the third busiest library globally.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annual reports |url=https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/about-us/governance/annual-reports |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=State Library Victoria |language=en}}</ref>

The library has remained on the same site in the [[Melbourne central business district|central business district]] since it was established fronting [[Swanston Street]], and over time has expanded to cover a block bounded also by [[La Trobe Street|La Trobe]], [[Russell Street, Melbourne|Russell]], and [[Little Lonsdale Street|Little Lonsdale]] streets. The library's collection consists of over five million items, which in addition to books includes manuscripts, paintings, maps, photographs and newspapers, with a special focus on material from Victoria, including the diaries of the European founders of present-day Melbourne [[John Batman]] and [[John Pascoe Fawkner]], the folios of colonial explorer [[James Cook]], and items related to [[Ned Kelly]], notably [[armour of the Kelly gang|his armour]] and the original [[Jerilderie Letter]].