The Royal Historical Society of Victoria (RHSV) was formed in 1909 and is a community organisation committed to collecting, researching and sharing an understanding of the history of Victoria.
With the support of a large number of volunteers, the RHSV provides a full program of activities such as lectures, seminars, excursions, tours and exhibitions for the benefit of members, affiliated historical societies, and the general public.
The RHSV has a variety of established programs that support our mission of promoting Victorian history including History Week, the Victorian Community History Awards and the continued work of the History Victoria Support Group.
The Royal Historical Society of Victoria is managed by the Council that operates under the Society’s Constitution.
Publications
The RHSV publishes six newsletters per year, the Victorian Historical Journal (a reviewed journal since 1911), and books of historical interest.
Membership
The Society has over 1000 individual members, as well as functioning as the umbrella organisation for more than 320 local, regional and specialist historical societies throughout Victoria. RHSV membership is open to those who have an interest in history and who wish to join.
The Collection
The RHSV’s collection is an important collection of books, manuscripts, records, ephemera, images, periodicals, newsletters, indexes and registers that have been gathered since the inception of the Society in 1909. The collection is geared to the targeted collection of Victorian history with a particular focus on local history. We welcome donations of suitable print items.
The collection is used extensively by local and family history researchers, academics and students, authors and commercial enterprises. We offer personal advice and assistance to individual researchers, as well as a research service to business organisations and government agencies.
We host visits to our collections and exhibitions from the public, community groups and schools, and maintain links with State and local government through membership of advisory committees and boards.
The Royal Historical Society of Victoria is a proud member of the Federation of Australian Historical Societies.