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The State Library Victoria is the main library of the Australian state of Victoria. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the world. It is also Australia's busiest library and, as of 2018, the fourth most-visited library in the world
The landmark Domed Reading Room was opened in 1913, and was designed by Norman G. Peebles of Bates Smart. Its octagonal space was designed to hold over a million books and up to 600 readers. It is 34.75 m in both diameter and height, and its oculus is nearly 5 m wide. The dome was the largest in the world on completion.
In 2003, it was officially renamed the LaTrobe Reading Room, and now houses the Library's Australiana collection, previously in the 1965 La Trobe Building annex Levels 4 and 5 of the Dome galleries house the free permanent exhibitions "World of the book" and "The changing face of Victoria", while level 6 provides visitors with a view of the reading room below.