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

The Oral History and Folklore collection record the voices that describe cultural, intellectual and social life.  The collection consists of around 45,000 hours of recordings, the earlier ones dating back to the 1950s when the tape recorder became available.  More than 1000 hours of interviews, music and accents are added to the collection each year. Increasingly the collection is available online or may be requested from the catalogue. You can listen to:

• Folklore recordings – popular culture, traditional songs, dances, music, stories and more
• Interviews with distinguished Australians – scientists, writers, artists, politicians and sportspeople
• Interviews with people who have lived through significant social trends and conditions – unemployment, the impact of child removals from families,  the Depression, and migration to Australia
• Environmental sound – the historical sound of the built and natural environment.

Some interviews have transcripts or summaries and their online audio delivery system helps you search the content of their collection, which can be searched through Trove.

Make an enquiry using the NLA online form