Use this guide to locate resources that originate in Australia. To locate resources that originate outside Australia use the main History guide.
Use encyclopedias and dictionaries on the REFERENCE RESOURCES page to locate background information about your topic and to find defintions or explanations of words and concepts.
Use the JOURNAL ARTICLES page to locate current information on specific topics. Journals are usually the first place that information is published so they are a good source of current information. The number of back issues available online continues to grow due to ongoing digitisation projects. Note that databases on this page may also include book chapters, conference proceedings and government reports. Some will also include reference material.
WEBSITES Google is useful for finding certain types of information such as government reports, official statistics, TV and radio transcripts. Use the advanced search screen to locate specific sorts of information. Use Google Scholar to search for academic books, working papers and journal articles as a supplement to searching the databases on the Journal Articles' page.Some recommended websites are listed on this page.
Start your search for BOOKS in the Fisher Library. For many topics you will need to get books from other libraries. This page tells you how to join other libraries and how to get an inter-library loan.
Use the NEWSPAPER page to search for historic newspapers.
If you find a citation or an abstract to a journal article on either a database or Google Scholar and you want to see the full text of the article, ask a librarian and we will try to access it for you.
For further assistance ask a librarian in the Fisher Library.
The following research guides have been prepared by State Library of Victoria staff. They guide you through the research process and provide access to resources at the State Library of Victoria and beyond.
