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Oral history

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Black and white photo of Smoky and Dot Dawson sitting and smiling at the camera

Damian McDonald, Portrait of Smoky and Dot Dawson at the National Library, 2000, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136550848

Oral History and Folklore

Our Oral History and Folklore Collection dates back to the 1950’s and includes a rich and diverse collection of interviews and recordings with Australians from all walks of life.

Information article
Collection guide
York Collection

About 140 oral history interviews, the majority for his Maltese-Australian and Polish-Australian folklore and social history projects. Personal papers of York plus papers of the historian Michael Cigler. Also a large quantity of Maltese newspapers, student newspapers, radical pamphlets and ephemera.

Collection guide
A split image featuring two professional headshots. On the left, a middle-aged woman with brown hair and glasses, wearing a black turtleneck, is smiling gently against a textured, light-colored background with some visible vines. On the right, an older man with gray hair, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and blue patterned tie, is smiling directly at the camera against a plain gray background. Both individuals appear professional and approachable.
Workshop: Capturing your family stories session 2

Learn how to record your loved ones’ stories and preserve their voices for the future.

Event
A split image featuring two professional headshots. On the left, a middle-aged woman with brown hair and glasses, wearing a black turtleneck, is smiling gently against a textured, light-colored background with some visible vines. On the right, an older man with gray hair, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and blue patterned tie, is smiling directly at the camera against a plain gray background. Both individuals appear professional and approachable.
Workshop: Capturing your family stories session 1

Learn how to record your loved ones’ stories and preserve their voices for the future.

Event
Collection guide
Woodland Collection

27 recordings of traditional music, recitations, folklore and oral histories made in New South Wales between 1968 and 1995.

Collection guide
Katherine Bennell-Pegg standing next to plant samples in a lab

Louise Whelan, Portrait of Katherine Bennell-Pegg for the Women in the space industry pictures collecting project, Adelaide, South Australia, 2024, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3445292386

Women in the Space Industry collection launched online

Explore oral histories and portraits of trailblazing Australian women working in the space industry.

News article
Collection guide
Willis Collection

One of the largest oral history collections in Australia with recordings of over 900 individuals in all States, as well as folk groups, singing groups, bands and choirs.

Collection guide
Collection guide
White Collection

Personal papers of Patrick White, plus letters from White to other Australian writers acquired as part of their papers. Also papers of White's biographer David Marr and those of the artist and theatre designer Desmond Digby who had a long friendship with White.

Collection guide
Black and white photo of a baby koala clinging to the back of a largeer koala, who's sitting on a branch

Two koalas in a tree, 1930, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148977738

Voices of Aussie wildlife conservation

Hear from some of the people working to protect Australia's incredible wildlife. 

Blog
Black and white photo of a man listening to a recording with a pen in hand and a piece of paper next to him

Loui Seselja, Portrait of Geoffrey Dutton seated in the Oral History collection at the National Library of Australia, 1992, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151764316

Using the Oral History collection

A guide to requesting, accessing and publishing collection items in the Oral History and Folklore Collection.

Information article
Library services
Four members of the Library's Special Collections Research & Support team, two men and two women, sitting at tables in the Main Reading Room

Members of the Special Collections Research & Support team in the Main Reading Room

Unlocking our oral history collections for family history research

Learn about some of our key oral history collections that you can use for family history research.

Blog
Collection of various portraits, from groups of people to individuals, with the title 'The Memory Tapes' on a yellow back
The Memory Tapes

The Memory Tapes brings history to life through the voices of the people who lived it. Drawing on one of the nation’s most significant oral history collections, the series explores remarkable stories of resilience, innovation, creativity, migration, activism and everyday life. Narrated by oral historian Dr Shirleene Robinson AM, each episode combines firsthand accounts with expert storytelling to reveal the people behind Australia’s history.

Audio

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