The Prahran Mechanics' Institute was established in 1854 in Chapel Street, Prahran by subscriptions and donations from the local community in an aim to facilitate lectures, discussions, a library, reading rooms, classes, and a museum. In 1908 the Prahran Mechanics' Institute established the Prahran Technical School which operated firstly at Chapel Street, then at High Street from 1915 until 1971. In 2004 the High Street building was included in the Victorian Heritage Register for its architectural and cultural significance. Since 1981 the PMI library has specialised as a Victorian history research collection and as the only lending collection of its kind in Australia. In 2009 Prahran Mechanics' Institute sold the building located on High Street to Swinburne University of Technology. The PMI then purchased a building in nearby St Edmonds Road, Prahran and relocated in 2014. The new and current PMI Library at 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran was officially opened by the Mayor of Stonnington, Cr Melina Sehr and PMI President Cr John Chandler OAM on the 30th of May 2015.
Collections
In the early 1980s the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute devised a new collection policy which concentrated its resources on providing a lending collection specialising in the history of Victoria. The Victorian history collection is the only collection of its kind available for loan to the general public and has now expanded to include items about Australia and other Australian states. The Prahran Mechanics’ Institute building is the current home of special collections of the Mechanics’ Institute of Victoria, the Cinema and Theatre Historical Society and the Australian Railway Historical Society. With more than 30,000 books for loan and a professional information service for members, it provides a central resource for research into the history of Victoria and Australia. The collection continues to grow steadily through purchases and donations.
Services
In addition to an extensive lending and reference library specialising in works about Victorian and Australian history, the library organises events, seminars, and competitions to encourage and facilitate the study of history. In the long tradition of mechanics' institutes, Prahran Mechanics' Institute runs a programme of educational activities including free public lectures and workshops. It also operates Prahran Mechanics' Institute Press, a not-for-profit publishing service for authors writing about aspects of the history of Victoria.
