Introduction to Oral History

The National Library's Oral History and Folklore Collection records the voices that describe Australia's cultural, intellectual and social life. Dating back to the 1950s, the collection contains around 55,000 hours of recordings, with more than 1,000 hours of interviews and music added each year.

With so much to discover, it might be hard to know where to start!

This webinar will be an introduction to the collection, explaining why it exists, how it can be accessed and what users might find there. The webinar touches on significant collections including the Bringing Them Home Oral History project, the Australian response to AIDS Oral History project and the John Meredith folklore collection. It also includes a tutorial on how to access this rich collection and the various ways you can listen to digitised recordings.

Contents:
00:00 - Introduction
01:00 - What is oral history?
02:00 - The history of the Oral History and Folklore Collection
04:02 - Unheard voices
06:38 - How does the Library safeguard the privacy of oral history contributors?
07:35 - How does the Library decide what to record?
08:30 - What technology goes into maintaining the Oral History and Folklore Collection?
11:13 - How do we access the Oral History and Folklore Collection?
12:30 - The importance of digitising the collection
14:36 - Mark and Shirleene's favourites
17:33 - Discussion conclusion
18:05 - Accessing the Oral History and Folklore Collection online tutorial
29:37 - Conclusion

Below is a list of links and resources that can help you with your research:

National Library of Australia Homepage: https://www.nla.gov.au/
Catalogue: https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/
When you visit our catalogue, you’ll notice that it looks different from what we show in this video. We’ve redeveloped our Catalogue, and it is now more useful and efficient than ever. Learn more:    • Getting started at the National Library  
Ask a Librarian: https://www.nla.gov.au/askalibrarian
Get a Library Card: https://www.nla.gov.au/getalibrarycard/
Past Webinar Recordings: https://www.nla.gov.au/content/past-w...
Use and re-use of Library material: https://www.nla.gov.au/do-i-need-the-...

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