A-Z Digital Resources

Age Digital Newspaper, The

Please note: in order to access this resource, you will need to be logged in.

The Library Edition is an archive of true to print digital copies of The Age newspapers from 2006. This collection enables users to find articles, photographs, advertisements, classified or cartoons just as they were printed. Issues can be viewed on computer or tablet and are delivered via a standard web browser (without plug ins).

Download our guide to accessing The Age Digital Newspaper.

AMES English Training

Australian based English language courses for people to grow their skills and confidence to listen, read, speak and write in English. The courses cover various levels from beginners to intermediate and include worldwide English, Living in Australia and Job seeker modules.

Download our guide to using AMES.

Ancestry

Only available on site in the library.

Ancestry is the world's largest online family history resource. Access Ancestry Library Edition on any computer in every library or via the app (Apple or Android) through the library's free wifi.

Ancestry Library Edition Training Videos

Download our guide to using Ancestry Library Edition.

Australian Aboriginal History Podcast series

This 16-part podcast series provides listeners with insights into Australia’s Colonial past and makes First Nations history the dominant narrative. In doing so, it acknowledges the rights of our First Nations people to land and sea. It allows a wider audience to understand the impacts of government policies and frontier conflicts on First Nations people, and it embraces and celebrates the stories of Indigenous success and contribution. Presented by Emeritus Professor Richard Broome, LaTrobe University and Royal Historical Society of Victoria in 2007, these podcasts are being progressively published with lecture notes and resources.

Australian Cemeteries

Resource with linked cemetery details, burial registers, headstone transcripts and photographs for your family and local history research.

Banyule Heritage Database

The Banyule Heritage Database is a searchable online database that contains information about properties and precincts in the Banyule Heritage Overlay. The information in the database is extracted from various heritage studies completed for the City of Banyule.

BorrowBox

Download eBooks or eAudiobooks via the website or straight from the BorrowBox app. Offers Australian and international best-selling authors. You can borrow 10 items at a time and place up to 10 holds. Also available to Murrindindi Library Service Members.

Apps are available to download from Apple and Google Play.

Download our guide to using Borrow Box.

British Newspaper Archive, The

Search hundreds of millions of pages of historical newspapers from the United Kingdom and Ireland from the 1700s. New content added regularly. Search for news articles, family notices, letters, obituaries, advertisments and more. Search by keyword and filter by name of newspaer, place and/ or date.

Access in library only.  Please note: Researchers are asked to register with an email address and password when using the BNA. Login when you access the database each time. Save personal searches, bookmark articles and more via the "my research" tab.

If you need some help starting your research on The Archive watch this video to help you make the most out of your visit.

Choice Magazine

CHOICE Magazine offers unbiased product reviews, comparisons and consumer action reports via the website or app (apple or android). Ensure your choices are informed!

Back issues of CHOICE magazine are available. To access back issues on your desktop or laptop computer, open the most recent issue of a magazine and select the All Issues menu item in the right column to see all available issues. To access back issues on your mobile device, open the most recent issue of a magazine and select the All Issues menu item from the menu in the top left corner to see all available issues.

Apps are available to download via Apple and Google Play.

Download our guide to using Choice Magazine.

City of Whittlesea: Local Aboriginal history Wurundjeri Willum people

Many of the names in the City of Whittlesea were inspired by the Wurundjeri including Bundoora, Yan Yean, Mernda, Wollert and Merri.

Classica

Available via Libby through your library membership, Classica is the world’s premium classical music destination dedicated to classical music, opera, and ballet.

Clear Pronunciation

Practice your Australian English pronunciation. Listen to native speakers, record, compare, and improve. Build your confidence practising alone and feel more confident speaking with others.

To access, enter your library card details then select ‘Continue as a guest’.

Comics Plus

Read comics, manga, and graphic novels on Comics Plus by Library Pass. Choose from over 25,000 titles with unlimited, simultaneous access: no wait lists for popular series and no borrowing limits.

Comics Plus for Kids

Read comics, manga, and graphic novels on Comics Plus by Library Pass. Choose from almost 10,000 children's titles with unlimited, simultaneous access: no waiting for popular series and no borrowing limits.

Craftsy

Craftsy is accessed through the Libby App using your library membership. It's an online resource for all creative makers from basic instruction to advanced techniques for fabric and yarn crafts, baking, drawing, and much more.

Cyndi's List

A categorized and cross-referenced list of more than 310,000 links for genealogical research. Visit the Categories page and browse to find the links arranged by localities, ethnic groups, occupations, religions, record types, methodology and more.

Daily Mail Historical Archive, 1896-2004 (Primary Sources)

Described as the "the newspaper that rules Britain", the Daily Mail has been at the heart of British journalism since 1896, regularly changing the course of government policy and setting the national debate. Part of Gale Historical Newspapers. Enter your library card number to access from home.

Darrabi Garden

The Darrabi Native Food & Reconciliation Garden was opened in May 2007 as a joint initiative of Nillumbik Reconciliation Group and Hurstbridge Primary School. The word Darrabi means awaken, Darrabi was established to help awaken and educate children and visitors to the wisdom of indigenous culture, and the usefulness of our native plants.

Deadly Story

A resource for Aboriginal children and young people, and others to learn about Aboriginal culture and identity. Includes tools and templates for carers and practitioners and news section.

Family History (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies)

The AIATSIS manages a collection with information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families, communities and places. Start your family history research here with tips to get started, research step by step, other resources and contacts for other key organisations. Download the Family History Kit.

Family History Federation (UK)

The Family History Federation can help you get started with your research in the United Kingdom.

Family History Guide

The Family History Guide is a free website that represents a best-in-class learning environment for family history. Its scope is broad, but its focus is narrow enough to help you achieve your goals, step by step. Whether you're brand new to family history or a seasoned researcher—or somewhere in between—The Family History Guide can be your difference-maker.

Family Search

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organisation in the world. Millions of people use this free website to access records, resources and services to learn more about their family history. The historical records collection spans billions of names across hundreds of international collections including birth, marriage, death, probate, learn, military and more. An enhanced search feature allows searches by location, event, collection and parents. Access user submitted genealogies, the catalogue includes billions of records on microfilm which are progressively being digitised and indexed. Family History Books includes over 80,000 digitised family history publications. A Research Wiki, Research course, discussion forums and online assistance can also be accessed here.

Find My Past

Discover billions of historical records from around the world, covering Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the United States. Records for your research in Victoria include electoral rolls (name or address search), birth, death and marriage indexes, Petty Session registers, Victoria Police Gazette, Passenger lists and more. Access the Library Edition via any of Yarra Plenty Regional Library’s public computers or through our free Wi-Fi. Please note we have a limited seat licence. If you are unable to gain access, wait 15 minutes and try again.

Flickr: Yarra Plenty Regional Library Local History

Browse or search over 7,700 contemporary and historical images relating to our area on this popular photo sharing website, including photos of the old Ivanhoe Library, the COVID-19 Pandemic time capsule, The Fay Thomas Collection documenting the family of Mernda pioneer Moses Thomas, The historic Alice Broadhurst Collection documenting the 16th Australian General Hospital at Mont Park after World War One and more, The aftermath of Black Saturday, The construction of the WaterMarc complex in Greensborough, local war memorials and more. Create an account and add comments and upload, organise, tag, edit and annotate your own photos.

Apps available to download via Apple and Google Play.

Gale Literary Index

Gale Literary Index is a master index to the major literature products published by Gale. It combines and cross-references author names, including pseudonyms and variant names, and listings for titles of works into one source.

Gale Literary Index provides quick and easy access to author and title listings from over 130 literature products from Gale and the imprints Charles Scribner's Sons, St. James Press, and Twayne Publishers. The referenced products themselves will contain complete biographies on authors and critical essays on their writings.

Gale Primary Sources

Contains full runs of influential national and regional newspapers representing different political and cultural segments of British society from 1741 - 1950, including The Times, 1785-2019; Illustrated London News, 1842-2003; Daily Mail, 1896-2004; The Telegraph, 1855-2016; and the Sunday Telegraph 1822-2016. The British Library Newspapers Collection includes over 240 titles from the UK and Ireland. Cross-search from a single interface or within a title. Search and view entire pages or individual articles and save, bookmark, e-mail and print results. Access at home with your library card number.

Download our guide to using Gale Primary Sources.

Gambay

First Languages Australia is working with regional language centres nationally to develop a map of Australian languages that reflects the names and groupings favoured by community.

Gawa Wurundjeri Resource Trail

The Gawa Wurundjeri Aboriginal Resource Trail is near Watsons Creek on the Eltham-Yarra Glen Road and is part of the Panton Hill Bushland Reserves System. It provides a self-guided 340 metre looped trail, with markers explaining how the Wurundjeri clan of about 50 people lived near the creek, and used the land to obtain bush foods, medicines, implements, shelter and clothes. This resource provided by the Nillumbik Reconciliation Group provides a map and further information which is also provided on the trail markers.

Greensborough Pioneer Walk

Produced by Greensborough Historical Society in partnership with Greensborough Town Centre, this brochure highlights information about walking along Grimshaw and Main Street in Greensborough. Plaques are also in place along the route.

IELTS Road to IELTS - Academic

To access, enter your library card details then select ‘Continue as a guest’. Road to IELTS General training provides the best possible preparation and practice for IELTS testing. It covers the reading, writing, listening and speaking modules via the website or app (Apple or Android).

Download our guide to using IELTS.

IELTS Road to IELTS - General

To access, enter your library card details then select ‘Continue as a guest’. Road to IELTS General training provides the best possible preparation and practice for IELTS testing. It covers the reading, writing, listening and speaking modules via the website or app (Apple or Android).

Download our guide to using IELTS.

Illustrated London News Historical Archive, 1842-2003 (Primary Sources), The

Presents a vivid picture of British and world events - including news of war, disasters, royalty, social affairs, the arts and science. Enter your library card number to access from home.

Jigsaw Planet

Jigsaw Planet showcases images from YPRL’s local history collection you can do from home. We have created a variety of puzzles suitable for all ages and levels of experiences, including puzzles with pieces that rotate. Choose from an album from where you live, our libraries album or from any featured on our landing page. Create an account and keep a log of the puzzles you complete and your best times. Search for themes you like or pick from the random or featured puzzles from the home page for more fun.

Kanopy

NEW! Kanopy is now also available via the Libby app. You'll find it in the 'Extras' section alongside YPRL's collections.

Kanopy offers thousands of movies, documentaries and TV series for recreation and education. Movies come in 70+ languages and there’s even a Kanopy Kids section with content from ABC Kids. You can watch up to 6 films monthly on your TV, mobile phone, tablets or online.

Download our guide to using Kanopy.

Koorie Heritage Trust

The Trust's purpose is to preserve, protect and promote the indigenous culture of South Eastern Australia and in doing so, bridge the cultural gap between Koories and the wider community. They also provide a family history service.

Learn English online with AMES

Australian based English language courses for people to grow their skills and confidence to listen, read, speak and write in English. The courses cover various levels from beginners to intermediate.

Libby

Download eBooks or eAudiobooks via the website or straight from the Libby app. This also includes Marvel comics and graphic novel eBooks! You can borrow 10 items at a time and place up to 10 holds. Also available to Murrindindi Library Service Members.

Find instructions for eBook download and for eAudiobook download.

Apps available to download via Apple and Google Play.

LinkedIn Learning

*Please note: LinkedIn Learning replaces Lynda.com and the Lynda app*

LinkedIn Learning is an online learning site that hosts a growing library of over 16,000 courses in 7 different languages, delivered by expert instructors.

Courses cover a variety of topics (including business, design, web development and multimedia skills) and software (Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite and open source applications) that can help you pursue personal and professional goals.

Log in with your library card and PIN.

To log in to the LinkedIn Learning app: select 'sign in', enter your library ID as 'yprl', then enter your library card number and PIN.

Download our guide to using LinkedIn Learning.

Literary Journals

We have a range of items in our collection specifically curated with help from Writers Victoria to help you be the best writer you can be, including:

New York Review of Books
Creative Nonfiction
Australian Book Review
Australian Poetry Journal
Rabbit: A Journal for Nonfiction Poetry
Women’s Review of Books

Click the "Learn more" button below and enter your library card number for access.

LOTE Online for Kids

LOTE Online for Kids is a new library database that allows kids to enjoy the magic of books in LOTE (Languages Other Than English), both in library branches and at home. Kids can also watch each LOTE title translated and narrated in English to help with reading and literacy development. With over 1000 digital books in over 35 languages, you can watch, learn, and enjoy!

Mont Park to Springthorpe

Explores the former Mont Park Hospital and Asylum, Macleod and its environment, the heritage-listed buildings, its significant landscape design, social and cultural history, hospital and psychiatric care history, indigenous history, significant historical figures and includes interviews with people associated with the area in the past. A new feature includes self-guided heritage walks.

Montmorency Culture and history

Mountain to Melbourne: Celebrating 170 Years of the Yan Yean Reservoir

New York Times, The

The original, quality journalism of The New York Times helps you make sense of this moment — and make everyday life better.

Access the NYT:

In a library branch: Enjoy unlimited free access when visiting a branch. Connect to library Wi-Fi, visit nytimes.com and register or login.

At home: Enjoy 24 hours free access at home. Use the link below to generate an access code then visit nytimes.com and register or login. You can visit the link again and generate a new code for another 24 hours as many times as you like. Generate your code here. 

News Corp Publications

In library only – connect to library Wi-Fi and follow the link to access online newspapers including The Australian, The Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The NT News and more.

Our Eltham Artistic Reflections

Our Eltham Artistic Reflections is a collection of panels that was commissioned by the Eltham Cemetery Trust as part of its vision to offer the community a fresh and unique relationship to the cemetery. Thirty one panels were produced depicting historical images of Eltham and the nearby area with images of indigenous flowers and plants. A majority of the images were provided to the collaborating artists in digital form by Yarra Plenty Regional Library in partnership with Eltham District Historical Society. The panels were unveiled on September 21, 2017.

Personal Digital Archive Toolkit

NSLA (National and State Libraries Australia) have produced a Personal Digital Archive Toolkit which provides information on how to understand your digital treasures and steps to identify what you want to save and what is important to you, organising the content and saving copies in different locations.

PROV Koorie Services

The Koorie Records Unit promotes awareness about Aboriginal records within the Public Record Office Victoria collection and aims to improve accessibility of these records to the Aboriginal community.

PROV: Online Collections

Public Records Office Victoria holds over 100km of government records in their collection related to all facets of significant Victorian Government activity from the 1830s onward. Some of the popular records, including photographs, maps, and documents relating to family history, have been digitised. Search within the list of records of interest to you. The digitised record can be downloaded from the catalogue directly. PROV is constantly adding new digitised items to their collections so check back regularly for updates.

Qello

Available via Libby through your library membership, Qello offers the world’s largest collection of full-length concerts and music documentaries streamed on-demand to just about any digital device.

Research Guides – Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People

Seven separate subject guides produced by staff at State Library Victoria provide infomation on resources available to research family history, find the meaning of Aboriginal words, learn more about adoption and Forgotten Australians and more.

Ryerson Index

The Ryerson Index is a free index to death notices appearing in Australian newspapers. The date range covered extends from the Sydney Gazette of 1803 up to newspapers published within the last week or so. The Index also includes many funeral notices, and some probate notices and obituaries. The Index grows at a rate of over 100 entries per day. It includes over 385 newspapers and websites and has over 7,625,000 entries. Search by surname or even by place name alone.

Scratch

Scratch is designed especially for ages 8 to 16 and helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century. Using Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community.

Share our Pride

Resource designed to give non-Indigenous people a glimpse into the lives and cultures of Australia’s First People developed by Reconciliation Australia. It introduces the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in a simple way.

Shire of Nillumbik local history

The guide showcases Nillumbik’s heritage sites, its people, and their stories. The digital version of the paper first edition features extra pages which are multi-layered and interactive, 315 additional images and 40 new stories. Walking and driving tours with interactive maps can be used as the basis for self-guided journeys.

StoryBox Library

StoryBox Library is an online 'reading room' that allows children and parents to look at a book and listen to a range of celebrated stories read aloud by a diverse range of storytellers with varying accents and from different cultures. It is an interactive experience for 2–12-year-olds. Stream via a smartphone, tablet or other devices with an internet connection. Murrindindi Library Service Members.

Download our guide to using Story Box Library.

Sunday Times Digital Archive 1822-2016 (Primary Sources), The

The Sunday Times (UK) Digital Archive is a gateway to the greatest crimes, careers and culture of the last 190 years. Enter your library card number to access from home.

Telegraph Historical Archive; 1855-2000 (Primary Sources), The

This fully searchable digital archive encompasses what was once the world's largest-selling newspaper. The archive is fully text searchable, view entire pages or individual articles and save, bookmark, e-mail and print results. Part of Gale Historical Newspapers. Enter your library card number to access from home.

The Heidelberg Golf Club : Historic Film of opening

The Unofficial history of Eltham

Times Digital Archive 1785-2014 (Primary Sources), The

This archive covers over 200 years of The Times (London) , one of the most highly regarded resources for eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth-century news coverage. Hailed as the world’s “newspaper of record”, The Times is regarded as the most authoritative medium for political, legal, business and social news. Enter your library card number to access from home.

Trove

Trove is a valuable constantly growing free resource about Australia and Australians hosted by the National Library of Australia. Search resources from its own holdings and those of other Australian institutions, including hundreds of newspapers and gazettes, magazines, including The Australian Women's Weekly and newsletters, journals, books, articles, letters, archives, maps, photos, music, sound, video, archived websites and more. Many collections are digitised.

Tynker

Tynker is a creative computing platform helping children from ages 7+ to program and build games, apps and more. Tynker offers self-paced online courses for children to learn coding at home, as well as an engaging programming curriculum for schools. View available apps (Apple or Android) for Tynker Coding for Kids.

Up the Creek

A collection of articles about the pioneers, people and local history of Arthurs Creek and surrounding districts by historian Bruce G. Draper. It expands on his published work and pulls together for the first time his 25 years of research with the addition of a vast array of photographs.

VAN Referendum 2023 Tapes Project, The

The Victorian Aboriginal News Referendum '23 Tapes podcast provides all Australians with accurate and reliable information relating to the 2023 Referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament embedded within the Constitution. It features exclusive interviews with key influencers in government, media and community.

Victorian Births, Deaths, Marriages

Search Victorian Historical indexes free and order certificates to confirm stories in your family’s history. Births from 1853 to 100 years before today’s date Marriages and relationships 1853 to 60 years before today’s date Deaths from 1853 to 30 years before today’s date Church baptisms, marriages and burials 1836 to 1853

Victorian Collections

Victorian Collections is a central portal to over 170,000 collection items and cultural treasures held by local history and community groups distributed across Victoria. Visit Eltham District Historical Society, Greensborough Historical Society and City of Whittlesea

Victorian Heritage Database

The Victorian Heritage Database is home to the Victorian Heritage Register which lists the State’s most significant heritage places, objects and historic shipwrecks protected under the Heritage Act 1995. It's also home to the Victorian Heritage Inventory which lists all known historical archaeological sites in Victoria.

Walking Thomastown

Who Else Writes Like...?

Welcome to the online version of Who Else Writes Like…? which is designed to help anyone who enjoys reading fiction to expand the number of writers they read. It is designed to answer the perennial question “I’ve read all the books by my favourite authors, who shall I read next?” Simply follow the links to find an author whose books you like, and see which other writers are recommended underneath. The aim of this website is to encourage readers to try the works of new authors and to open up to them the wealth of good reading that is available in their local public library.

When logging in you must put YPR as the prefix before your card number. For example, YPR-111111.

Wurundjeri

Includes profiles on significant people and places, Aboriginal cultural heritage work, cultural and educational services and land management services.

Wurundjeri Daily Life at Pound Bend

Downloadable pamphlet describing activities managing the local environment including the river system, food resources and leisure. Produced by Reconciliation Manningham.

Yallambie : Wurundjeri

From a local historian's blog that concentrates on the local history of Yallambie and district, in the City of Banyule. This post discusses the Batman Treaty and the suggestion that it was signed on the nearby Plenty River.