About the GSV

The Genealogical Society of Victoria (GSV) was officially formed in 1941.  Today the society has about 5000 members throughout Australia and overseas.  The running of the society is heavily dependent on volunteers, of which we have 150 involved in the held desk in the library, research services for members and non-members, projects such as indexing, library asset maintenance, IT support, and administration.  The volunteers are supported by five staff.

The society is overseen by a council of up to 16, all volunteers, supported by a small executive committee.

Despite our name, the society's genealogical collection is by no means confined to Victoria.  Our collections and library membership of commercial genealogical web sites provide the researcher with access to material across the whole of Australia and New Zealand, the UK, Europe and the Americas.

The GSV education program and advice from experienced researchers will guide you through the vast amount of genealogical material available online and in the library to research your families.

We have a vast collection of books, microfiche, microfilms, CD, maps, and databases, most of which are not available on the internet.  For our members who are unable to visit our library we offer a free lookup or advice service for short requests via email.  Members and non-members can submit requests for more extensive research on an hourly paid basis.

The GSV is a licensed film centre for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).  This allows our members to order films from the vast collection of the LDS Church, on short-term or long-term loan, to be delivered to and viewed in our library.

Throughout the year, the society conducts weekly educational classes and seminars for members, all of which can be found on the society’s web site and in our quarterly magazine Ancestor, which is sent out to members.

The Society has an extensive and well-stocked bookshop in our Collins Street premises together with our fully functional on-line bookshop.

The Society’s premises are open six days per week, Monday to Saturday, except for public holidays.