The Launceston Local Studies Collection is part of the Launceston Library and its access hours are the same as the Reference Library. Most items from its collection are available during those hours.
Launceston Library
Civic Square
Launceston
Tasmania
Australia 7250
Telephone: (03) 6336 2642 or (03) 6336 2641
Fax: (03) 6336 2649
Email: Launceston.Reference@education.tas.gov.au
Monday - Thursday
9.30am - 6.00pm
Friday
9.30am - 7.00pm
Saturday
9.30am - 2.00pm
If you have QUESTIONS about Launceston or Northern Tasmania you can use our online form to submit your question. We will attempt to answer any questions about our city, past or present.
Launceston Library Publications are available from the Reference Library.
The Launceston Reference Library has published guides to the collection available for purchase or online, specifically covering
- Family History Resources;
- Convict Records;
- Church Registers;
- Cemeteries;
- Military Personnel
- Ships' Pictures;
- Migration and Shipping Resources;
- Properties in Launceston and country properties;
- Tasmanian Parliamentary Publications;
- The Tasmanian: illustrations 1885 - 1895
This collection contains books and pamphlets, both current and historical, on all aspects of life in Tasmania. It is particularly strong in works about Northern Tasmania and in 19th century works about Tasmania.
It includes rare books from the library of Archibald Meston, which were purchased for the people of Launceston in 1954. To find books and pamphlets on the subject you are researching, you should consult the State Library's automated catalogue TALIS.
Items from this collection are in three different locations:
-The Open Access section. Items here may be used by clients at any time.
-The Closed Access section. Please request staff to retrieve books for you.
-The Stack Collection. Less used and rare and fragile items are kept here. Please request staff to retrieve books for you.
We have an extensive collection of Tasmanian newspapers and periodicals, both current and historical.
There are complete runs of The Examiner and The Mercury, and much of The Advocate, as well as colonial and early 20th Century newspapers such as The Cornwall Chronicle, The Daily Telegraph, The Hobart Town Gazette and The Colonial Times. Particularly good for photographs are The Weekly Courier and The Tasmanian Mail. Tasmanian Parliamentary Papers are also included in this Collection. These are available on microfilm.
The newscuttings files cover the years up to June 30, 1994. There is a very good coverage from 1989 on, but previous years are covered less intensively.
The newscuttings files are in two sections and should be used in conjunction with the Tasmanian Index, the State Library's index to Tasmanian newspapers and periodicals.
There are two on-line indexes accessible through the TALIS system:
There is a very wide range of Tasmanian maps in the collection, including Land Grant maps for both towns and country districts, Topographic maps for all areas of Tasmania (1:25 000 and 1:100 000 series), Land Tenure maps, Mines Department maps and Aerial Photomaps of the Tamar Valley in the orthophoto series.
The collection also includes many historical maps such as early road maps, electoral districts, and maps made by the early explorers.
Ephemera is the term used to describe such things as posters, brochures, programmes and leaflets. These are an important part of the historical resources.
This collection concentrates on Launceston and its region and covers many different subjects and events, such as theatre programmes and posters, catalogues of art and craft exhibitions and programmes of other special events.
There are about 17,000 pictures, mostly photographs, in this collection. It is made up of the Picture Files, located in the Closed Access area. These are divided into three sections: Subjects; Portraits; and Ships. The Photograph Albums and large sized pictures are located in Stack.
One very famous picture has been published as a limited edition poster. This is Stephen Spurling's Panorama of Launceston 1881.
Copies of this poster are available for sale.
Microfilm of two groups of government archives can be accessed; those of Great Britain for the colonial period and those of Tasmania.
The main Tasmanian groups are:
These contain such things as convict trials for many parts of England, army records for British regiments serving in Australasia, and despatches of the colonial administrations to the Colonial Office.
There are over 550 groups of papers in the Manuscripts Collection. They consist of the personal or business papers of Tasmanian people or organisations. More information about these is found in the Manuscripts and Pictures database which staff can access for you. Manuscripts should be requested in advance.
The most significant items from the Manuscript Collection are listed in the National Library of Australia's Register of Australian Archives and Manuscripts and on the State Library's catalogue.
