Oral history | National Library of Australia (NLA)

Oral history

Showing 13 - 24 of 52 results
Woman, Jacinta Mackay, sitting in front of a window looking into the Main Reading Room with a large globe on the other side

2024 National Library of Australia Scholar Jacinta Mackay

Bridging the gap between history and culturally safe nursing

Learn about Jacinta Mackay's NLA Scholarship research using the Bringing Them Home oral history recordings.

Blog
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
A woman sitting talking to a man while using a recorder.

David Moore, Portrait of Hazel de Berg interviewing physicist Professor Harry Messel, 1972, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138001621

De Berg Collection

1290 recordings of interviews and readings from many of Australia's poets, artists, writers, composers, actors, academics, publishers, librarians, scientists, anthropologists, public servants and some politicians

Collection guide
Map of Antarctica showing territories and dependencies.

Australia. Department of the Interior. Property and Survey Branch. & E. P. Bayliss, J. S. & Cumpston, Antarctica, 1939, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-236895938

Australian explorations in the Antarctic

Diaries, papers, photographs, maps and other material related to Australia's involvement in the Antarctic

Collection guide
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
Two men hug and another man shakes one of their hands

Juno Gemes, Countrymen, elders from Arakun and Mornington Island greeting each other before a ceremony, Mornington Island, Queensland, 1978, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-147616168

Bringing Them Home oral history project

Between 1998 and 2002, people from all over Australia told us their stories as part of the Bringing Them Home oral history project.

First Australians
Information article
A black and white image of a group of mean demonstrating. The man front and centre is holding a microphone to his mouth, while the man to the right is holding a megaphone speaker up in the air. There are placards and flags in the air in the background.

William Yang, Dennis Altman and Craig Johnston, Gay Demonstration, Macquarie Street, Sydney, 1981, nla.obj-136863821

A new oral history interview with Dennis Altman

In 2022, Australian writer, academic and gay rights campaigner Dennis Altman was interviewed by Robert Reynolds for the National Library's Oral History collection.

News article
Six women ballet dancers standing in a line

Greg Power & National Library of Australia, Annabel Knight, Juliette Barton and dancers during dress rehearsal for Sid's Waltzing Masquerade by Aszure Barton, Sydney Dance Company, The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre, 1 September 2009, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-132043442

Dance collection

Our dance collection contains portraits, manuscripts, oral history interviews, photographs, music scores, personal papers, theatre programs and memorabilia.

Information article
Fijian Australian woman with short grey hair sitting on a rock on a beach

Leigh Henningham, Portrait of Everest Pitt, 2022, nla.obj-3110047460

Rights and the Oral History and Folklore Collection

A summary of copyright and rights in the Oral History and Folklore Collection.

Information article
Green tile
National Press Club address recordings

The National Library of Australia’s Oral History and Folklore collection holds over 900 audio recordings from the National Press Club of Australia luncheon addresses including names like Margaret Thatcher, Richard Attenborough, Lowitja O’Donaghue and every Australian Prime Minister between 1964 and 1994.

Information article
Video
At the left of the photo, a young man with short dark hair is sitting down at a radio desk, smiling out at the camera and with his left hand he balances a record on its edge on the desk.

Douglas Thompson, Radio announcer Ted Reeves of 2CA radio station holding a record, Canberra, 1951, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138073414

Introduction to oral history

Dive into the oral history collection, exploring highlights and how you can access the voices that describe Australia's cultural, intellectual and social life.

Learning activity for adults
Video
Hand coloured manuscript map of Australia, on base map titled 'A community survey of Australia', showing reach of Flying Doctor Service in red and reach of wireless communication in blue. Shows locations as Wyndham, Port Hedland, Kalgoorlie, Alice Springs, Cloncurry and Charleville and Broken Hill.

John Flynn, Flying Doctor Service of Australia, 1951, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-481242509

Australian Inland Mission

The Australian Inland Mission established 15 nursing homes, bush hospitals and services in remote Australian locations.

Collection guide

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