Southbank Library

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The Southbank Library supports and enriches the learning, teaching and research activities of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne. The Library is located at the Southbank campus of the University of Melbourne.


The Southbank Library supports the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the Southbank campus of the University of Melbourne.  It is a new library that re-opened in February 2019 incorporating the collections of the Louise Hanson-Dyer Music Library (formerly at Parkville campus) and the Lenton Parr Music, Visual and Performing Arts Library (formerly at Southbank campus).

The new library has been created in response to the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music moving the majority of its programs to Southbank in 2019.  A new state of the multi-story building on Sturt Street was also opened in February 2019 to support this major initiative.

There are two significant collections that comprise a rich and deep cultural library of resources for our students and staff.  Now considered to be one of the biggest creative arts libraries in Australia it brings together two collections with strong teaching and research credibility and historical backgrounds.

Louise Hanson-Dyer Music Collection

The Louise Hanson-Dyer Music Collection is over 100 years old, having supported the original Faculty of Music (now Fine Arts and Music) through the decades.  It is considered to be one of the finest music collections in Australia.  It is diverse and comprehensive including books, journals, collected editions, facsimiles and monuments of music, music scores, sound recordings and video – in paper and online – full-text and streaming. It also has an extensive range of microfilms of unique manuscripts and other material held in major music collections in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

The collection (and former Music Library) honours Louise Hanson-Dyer (1884-1962). A Melbourne born patron of the arts and music publisher, Louise founded the publishing house Editions de l’Oiseu-Lyre in Paris, which became a pre-eminent publisher of early music recordings, collected editions and championed contemporary Australian composers. A bequest on her death has supported teaching and research activities in the Faculty of Music.

Her own personal library and extremely fine Rare Music Collection is now located in the Rare Music Collection as is the Archive of Editions de l’Oiseu-Lyre. These are accessible to researchers at the Baillieu Library Reading Room.

The new auditorium is also honoured with her name - located in the Ian Potter Southbank Centre, home of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

Further information about Louise Hanson-Dyer can be found in the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

Lenton Parr Visual and Performing Arts Collection

The Lenton Parr Visual and Performing Arts Collections consist of some of the richest collections of books, sound and video in these art forms.

Formerly the Lenton Parr Music, Visual and Performing Arts Library, it was named in honour of Lenton Parr (1924-2003), the distinguished sculptor, arts educator and Founding Director of the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA).  The collection was founded with the National Gallery School Library collection when the VCA was proclaimed in 1972. The two founding Schools of Art and Music provided early strengths in these areas including books, journals, music scores and sound recordings. The addition of the Schools of Drama, Dance, Film and TV, and Production in the following decades are reflected in the collection, with extensive audiovisual collections on laser disc, video and DVD.

Learn more about Lenton Parr and the birth of the Victorian College of the Arts in this ART150 article by Professor Emeritus Andrea Hull AO

Standard Hours

    Please note:
  • The Service Desk closes 15 minutes before the Library closes.
  • Study spaces and collections on Ground and Level 1 will be starting to be cleared for security purposes 15 minutes before closing. Please observe requests from staff to pack up and move to allow the library to close.
  • University of Melbourne students who wish to remain in the After Hours Zone (AHZ) are asked to exit the building when the Library closes and swipe back into the AHZ.

After Hours Study Zone

  • The Southbank HUB After Hours Zone provides swipe card access to the Ground Floor for current UoM students and staff. There is no access to the Library Collections (including High Use and the Hold Shelf) or to the Service Desk assistance beyond our standard Opening Hours.
  • UoM students - please use your student ID card to swipe in at the Buxton Gallery entrance.  It is important to have your student ID card with you at all times on campus.

Hub Building
Building 863, Southbank Campus

Direct Enquiries

Telephone: +(61 3) 9035 9052
Email: southbank-library@lists.unimelb.edu.au

General Library queries:

Visit the contact the library page.

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Faculty staff and students are welcome to contact the specialist Library staff listed below.

Senior Librarians

  • Ashley Sutherland, Faculty Librarian, Fine Arts and Music(acting) and Arts Faculty Librarian.
    Ashley Sutherland

    Faculty Librarian, Fine Arts and Music(acting) and Arts Faculty Librarian

    ashley.sutherland@unimelb.edu.au

    +61 3 9035 9056

  • Natasha Story
    Natasha Story

    Senior Librarian, Library Services and Spaces
    Architecture, Building and Planning Library, Creswick Library & Southbank Library

    natasha.story@unimelb.edu.au

    + 61 3 8344 1166

Liaison Librarians

Library Service Officers