Future State: SLV LAB pushes the boundaries to discover what a library can be.

Libraries of the future, digital cultural heritage and exploring the ethics of AI are at the heart of SLV LAB – a new prototyping and innovation initiative launching today at State Library Victoria.

Tasked with helping the Library unlock the future of digital innovation, SLV LAB shares knowledge about advanced technologies and their impact on libraries. SLV LAB experiments ‘out loud’ with new ways to open access to collections, data and spaces. Library staff work together with technologists, artists, researchers and designers to explore how digital technology can present the collection in new and unexpected ways and can transform Library operations and experience.

Articles, code and datasets are all published on the SLV LAB website: a place for sharing industry knowledge in real time, and an opportunity to look behind the curtain and see the innerworkings, challenges and achievements of a modern public library that is building its digital future.

Visitors can learn how the Library built the leading-edge Ned Kelly web experience, Mouthful of Dust, including behind-the-scenes vision of the photogrammetry of the Kelly artefacts. They can also learn more about how the Library is experimenting with machine learning to improve access to the vast Theatre Program archive – a collection of more than 48,000 thousand historical posters and ephemera documenting the history of live performance in Victoria.

State Library Victoria supports digital literacy by providing free community access to computers, studios, internet linked devices and Wi-Fi. SLV LAB will extend access to the Library’s services beyond its walls, by offering workshops and creating resources aimed at improving digital literacy for people of all abilities.

State Library Victoria CEO Paul Duldig said:

‘State Library Victoria is a vital part of our public infrastructure, and it’s essential we keep evolving as technology does.'

‘SLV LAB is where we are building the library of the future — inviting the public behind the scenes as we test our ideas, share our prototypes, code and real-time learnings, and explore what a library can be.’

State Library Victoria Chief Digital Officer Paula Bray said:

‘Libraries have evolved from custodians of written and printed material to vast archives of digital knowledge and data. SLV LAB brings together our amazing staff with people from other disciplines and backgrounds to see what’s possible with the State Collection. SLV LAB allows us to share those learnings with our peers and grow digital literacy and capability across the Library and wider GLAM sector.’

SLV LAB launches on 1 May 2025. For more information visit lab.slv.vic.gov.au