Our Organisation and Contact Details
The Collection
The library covers a wide range of the works of religious writers, particularly Catholic authors. The areas of philosophy, theology, scripture, church history and devotional literature are represented in considerable depth and breadth.
A particular feature of the collection is the large range of biographical works. Biographies and autobiographies of many of the outstanding figures in the Church, past and present, provide the scholar, or general reader, with valuable insights into their lives and times. Our holdings of biographies of the saints is extensive and popular with many of our readers.
Membership
Applications for Membership may be made only by attendance in person at the library.
Another of our specialties is our Irish collection comprising works on many facets of Irish history and a large range of biographies of notable figures in Irish historical and religious circles. This includes a number of works in Gaelic.
The library subscribes to a range of the best Catholic papers and magazines, both national and international.
Operation
The library is a subscription lending library. Members are entitled to borrow four books at a time, for a period of thirty days. Only books from the general collection may be borrowed; neither periodicals nor books from the Reference section are available for loan. Non-members are welcome to use the library for reference purposes, but are not eligible to take books out on loan.
The Committee publishes a Newsletter four times a year to bring members’ attention to recent developments in the holdings or mode of operation of the library. Each issue of the Newsletter includes reviews of recently published acquisitions.
The Committee also arranges talks and seminars to stimulate interest in Catholic thought. Attendees typically find that our collection includes a good range of works relevant to the topic of each session and are therefore motivated to read further in that subject area.
Organisation
The library is an independent and voluntary organisation. It is registered under the Incorporated Associations Act and its formal name is Caroline Chisholm Library Incorporated. It is run by a committee of management elected at the Annual General Meeting.
The library depends on subscriptions and donations for its funding and is staffed and managed on a voluntary basis.
City Branch
This is conveniently located in Mitchell House, in Lonsdale Street on the corner of Elizabeth Street, (opposite historic St Francis' Church), Melbourne. The full address details are:
Street Address |
Postal Address |
|---|---|
| Caroline Chisholm Library Inc. Mitchell House Level 3, 358 Lonsdale Street. MELBOURNE, VIC 3000 Telephone: 03 9670 1815 Facsimile: 03 9670 1815 |
Caroline Chisholm Library Inc. PO Box 13176 MELBOURNE, VIC 8010 (Yes, that is correct: VIC 8010) |
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 11 am - 5 pm