Finding oral history and folklore

You can find oral history and folklore recordings in our catalogue and on Trove.

Catalogue 

Limit your search to Oral History and Folklore collection by selecting the 'Audio' option in the Catalogue. Some interviews may be freely available online. 

Tip: Look for the 'Listen Online' icon on the catalogue record.

Search our catalogue

Trove

Oral history interviews are usually catalogued by the interviewee’s name. Some are part of a collection or project, such as:

• Bringing them Home project
• COVID-19 in Australia oral history project
• Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants project.

To access interviews:

1. Select the Music, Audio & Video portal
2. Refine your search results to Interview, Lecture, Talk.
3. You can also search within transcripts or summaries 

If an interview is part of a project or collection, you can:

• Click See collection record (go up) in the catalogue to view the full collection overview.
• Click See records in related collection to browse other interviews in the same collection.

Search Trove

Accessing oral history and folklore

Access to interviews is subject to conditions set by the interviewee. The most common access conditions are:

• Open for research, personal copies and public use.
• Open for research and personal copies. Written permission is required for public use.
• Open for research. Written permission is required for personal copies and public use.
• Written permission required for research use, personal copies, and public use.

Most interviews are available for research, but if permission is required, you must obtain written approval from the interviewee before making a request. To arrange permission, contact Ask a Librarian.

Requesting material

1. Log in to the catalogue with your Library card.
2. Submit an online request
3. View material in the Special Collections Reading Room when it's ready.

Tip: Recordings, summaries, and transcripts appear as separate holdings in the catalogue. Be sure to select the correct one before submitting your request.

Interviews are usually available in:

• MP3 or Audio CD format
• Hardcopy or PDF transcript/summary

When you visit, staff will assign a desk based on your needs and can provide headphones for audio items. If there are any restrictions or digitisation requirements for an interview, staff will notify you.

Delivery and preparation time

Some collection items are not fully arranged or described and need extra time to be prepared before they can be used. For more information, review our collection delivery times.

Order copies

To check if copying is allowed or if permission is needed, review the access conditions in the catalogue record.

You can request copies through Copies Direct:

1. Find the item you would like a copy of in our catalogue.
2. Click 'Order a copy' at the bottom of the catalogue record.
3. Click 'Add to cart' to open the online order form.

If permission is required, we will notify you before providing the copy.

We will also inform you of any other responsibilities related to using the copy.

Tip: Recordings, summaries, and transcripts appear as separately in the catalogue. Ensure you select the correct one before making your request.

Copyright and publishing 

You must notify us if you intend to publish material from the Oral History and Folklore Collection. Depending on the access conditions, you may also need the interviewee’s permission.

• How to tell the Library you intend to publish a copy of a collection item 

More information

Some published oral history items, such as early radio broadcasts and commercial cassette recordings, are subject to copyright law. Special Collections staff can advise you on copyright considerations for your selected recordings.

• Rights and the Oral History and Folklore collection.

Citing items

To ensure the correct citing of items obtained from the library, please review 

• How to acknowledge the Library in your publication

Contact us

To submit and enquiry about oral history and folklore, use our service Ask a Librarian.