Our collections

About Collection Treasures Online

The Library holds many rare and fragile items from the areas of Australiana, Linguistics, South Asian and India and Latin American studies. Access to many of these items is restricted as they require careful storage and handling to ensure they are preserved for future generations.

In the past two years the Library has converted over 400 out of copyright titles to high quality online versions freely accessible to researchers and students in the following collections:

• La Trobe University collection treasures online. Australiana series
• La Trobe University collection treasures online. India series
• La Trobe University collection treasures online. Language and linguistics series
• La Trobe University collection treasures online. Latin America series

By digitising collection material the Library is helping to:

• preserve the original books
• increase access to the Library's collections
• allow access to digital materials online wherever and whenever users need access

African Collection

More information is available in the African Collection LibGuide.

Notes

The focus of this collection is:

• Sub-Saharan history & politics
• Works of literature by African writers
• Scholarly works in the areas of archaeology, anthropology, religion, history, politics, development, international relations, economics, and sociology

Location

Melbourne (Bundoora) and Online (access via Library catalogue).

Access

Your valid student/staff card allows you to borrow from any campus library.

Format

Print: Dewey Decimal call numbers:

• 960s for African History
• Af820s for African literature
• 320s for African politics & government

Quantity

25,000 to 30,000 print titles

Audio Visual Collection

This collection includes a wide range of material to support the research and study of the staff and students at the University. The collection includes:

• Computer software (software to accompany texts), tutorials, CD-Roms, DVD's and specialised computer programs
• Microforms of theses, books, manuscripts etc.
• Music recordings
• Music scores
• Online recorded lectures now provided by Lectopia Lectures Online
• Online streaming videos
• Videocassettes, DVD, laserdiscs, slides, charts, anatomical models assessment/test kits, multimedia packages, etc.

Notes

Audiovisual viewing facilities vary amongst campuses but include:

• Cassette decks
• Computer and associated software for students with sight or hearing impairments
• Group rooms for genuine use of resources held in the collection
• Multimedia workstations for accessing a range of formats (PCs and Mac)
• Readers and printers for microform material
• Video, laserdisc and DVD viewing facilities

Location

All campus libraries (access via Library catalogue).

Access

Your valid student/staff card allows you to borrow from any campus library.

Format

Videos, laserdiscs, slides, charts, anatomical models assessment/test kits, multimedia packages, CD-Roms, DVD's and specialised computer programs, music recordings and scores.

Quantity

Approximately 20,000 titles

Education Curriculum Collection (ECC)

The main aim of the Education Curriculum Collection is to help users stay abreast of the latest curriculum developments and resources in both primary and secondary education. A big part of the collection is juvenile fiction and picture storybooks, with an emphasis on texts used in schools and award winning children's literature.

Notes

Also includes resources for:

• classroom activities
• curriculum design
• lesson preparation ideas
• teaching ideas and strategies

Location

• Albury-Wodonga
• Bendigo
• Melbourne (Bundoora)

Search Library Catalogue

Access

Your valid student/staff card allows you to borrow from any campus library.

Format

Print, DVDs, models, pictures, kits, CD's, CD-ROMs, and games.

Quantity

Approximately 2000 items

European Documentation Centre

The Library became a European Documentation Centre (EDC) in 1975 and has one of the oldest and largest print collections of this material in Australia. The Collection aims to:

• promote teaching and research in European integration
• provide access to EU information and awareness of EU policies
• organise EU information for researchers, students and the general public
• act as a reference point on the EU in the University.

Notes

Search the Library Catalogue as follows:

• author (eg. European Commission, Statistical Office of the European Communities)
• title (eg. EDC collection)
• subject (eg. European Union countries - Statistics)

Location

Melbourne (Bundoora) and Online

Access

Your valid student/staff card allows you to borrow these items via any campus library.

Format

Print, Online

Quantity

Several thousand print titles plus electronic materials

General Collection

The General collection at all campuses contains books on a wide range of subjects that supports teaching and research in:

• Education
• Health Sciences
• Humanities & Social Sciences
• Law & Management
• Science, Engineering & Technology

Notes

The material in this collection is arranged by subject according to the Dewey Decimal Classification system.

Nearly all the items are available for loan. More information about borrowing this material is available for students, staff and the community.

Location

All campus libraries.

Access

Your valid student/staff card allows you to borrow from any campus library.

Finding aids

Search tools provide access to library resources.

Quantity

Over 1.5 million items

Government Publications

See Government Publications LibGuide for further information

Notes

the collection has the following strengths:

• Australian Federal & State government publications
• British government publications
• Publications of intergovernmental organisations such as the World Bank and the United Nations
• Selection of Irish government publications from 1972 to 1992

Location

Access via the Library Catalogue. Some older, less used, and rarer material is located in Storage.

Format

Print, Online

Access

Your valid student/staff card allows you to borrow from any campus library. Access online materials using your La Trobe username and password if prompted.

Quantity

A substantial and comprehensive print collection mainly from the 1960s to present.

India and South Asia Collection

See India & South Asia Collection LibGuide for more information

Notes

This collection is strong in the social sciences and humanities.

Items of interest include:

• Indian official and census statistics
• encyclopaedic gazetteers of India
• The Illustrated weekly of India (Bombay).
• Asiatic annual register: or, A view of the history of Hindustan, and of the politics, commerce and literature of Asia...
• The Asiatic journal and monthly register for British India and its dependencies

Location

Melbourne (Bundoora), Online (access via Library Catalogue)

Access

Your valid student/staff card allows you to borrow from any campus library.

Format

Print: Dewey Decimal call numbers:

• 294s for Buddhism
• 181s for Hindu philosophy
• 934s and 954s for Indian history.

Electronic

Eg Empire Online

Quantity

37,500

Physical Collection: Journals

Further description

LibGuides tell you how to find journal articles.

Journals, also known as Serials, Periodicals and Magazines, are published in parts on a continuing basis. Many titles are now available as eJournals.

Access

At Bundoora only recent volumes on open access. Older volumes in Storage.

Finding aids

Use the Library catalogue or the A-Z Databases/Journals tab on the Library homepage to find Journals

Quantity

Over 630,000 volumes

Latin American Collection

See Latin America LibGuide for more information.

Notes

The focus of this collection is:

• Mexican, Brazilian, Cuban, and Caribbean studies.
• United States-Latin American relations
• Latino peoples living in the United States.

Format

Print: Dewey Decimal call numbers:

• 320s for Politics and Government
• Am860s for Latin American literature
• 972s for Mexican History
• 980s for Latin American History

Location

Melbourne (Bundoora), Online

Access

Your valid student/staff card allows you to borrow this material via any campus library.

Quantity

28,000 to 30,000 print titles and growing electronic content

Microform Collection

See Microform for Research LibGuide for detailed information on content.

Notes

The Melbourne Campus Library has a significant collection of primary and secondary research materials and historical documents on microfiche and microfilm.

Location

Access via the Library Catalogue

View

Microfilm readers and printers are also located at the Melbourne and Bendigo campuses.

Quantity

4,000 titles comprising thousands of fiches and reels

Music Collection

See Music Collections LibGuide for further information.

Notes

Highlights of this collection include:

• 12th century to 15th century sacred music (especially 14th century Gregorian chant)
• Collected editions of scores
• Instrument and instrumental ensembles
• Jazz
• Keyboard music
• Opera
• Orchestra, chamber, strings and keyboard works of all major composers
• Vocal music

Location

Melbourne (Bundoora).

Access

Your valid student/staff card allows you to borrow from any campus library. Some older or more valuable items may be held in Special Storage or may not be available for loan.

Quantity

11,000 scores, recordings

Reference

Includes general and subject specific dictionaries, handbooks, atlases, encyclopaedias, bibliographies and more. Provides scholarly information often not freely available on the Web.

Location

All campus libraries.

Access

Library use only.

Notes

The collection of online reference materials is growing rapidly.

Quantity

Over 30,000 items

Special Collections

See Special Collections LibGuide for further information.

Notes

These collections house rare, valuable, fragile and theses materials such as:

• Books printed before 1850
• Limited editions
• Volumes of works which feature decorative bindings
• Books that are liable to theft, mutilation or damage because of their content or condition
• Theses which have been placed on limited access by the graduate

Further description

The Library has a number of special collections:

• Fine bindings
• Rare books
• Special
• Vulnerable

Format

Print

Location

Melbourne (Bundoora)

(access via Library catalogue) Click on Advanced search link and limit to Location Special Collection.

Access

Available for use in the Library only and must be read in the Special Collections reading area under "Special Collections Conditions of Use" rules. For access to these items, please ask at the Inquiry Desk on Level 1.

Quantity

Approximately 10,000 titles