The Laura standard Beetaloo, Wirrabara, Melrose, Booleroo Centre and Yarrowie advertiser

When a member of the Rocky River Historic and Art Society of Laura approached the Library in 2010 with copies of a newspaper printed on silk, arrangements were made to have these rare items conserved. In return, the Society donated one copy to the Library.

In the nineteenth century in England and Australia, printing on silk was undertaken as a demonstration of the printer's art. The Library holds theatre programmes and race guides printed on silk, but did not previously hold an example of a silk newspaper.

The Laura Standard was established in 1889 by partners Israel Taylor, Henry Weston (editor) and Louis Simon. Copies of the inaugural issue were printed on silk as commemorative copies of the town's first newspaper.