Oral history interviewers' seminar.

Dahlitz, Dianne

Outside it was one of those brilliant cold June mornings that Canberra sometimes produces--crisp and windy, with a dusting of snow visible on the nearby hills. Inside the Conference Room of the National Library, however, a glow of enthusiasm warmed more than 40 of the Library's oral history interviewers who had come from Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Nowra, Forbes--indeed from all over Australia--for a full-day seminar. This was the first time in many years the Library had brought its community of interviewers together and, for many, the first time they had met their fellow oral historians.

Margy Burn, Assistant Director-General, Australian Collections and Reader Services, provided the opening words, placing emphasis on the high regard the Library has for its interviewers and the material they produce. This regard can only have grown as the participants were invited to explain to the group, in one minute, why they were involved in the field and to describe some of their achievements in recording oral histories for the Library. As each spoke, all present began to realise just how complex and comprehensive the Library's program was, as it put their own work into a context of all of the interviewing and collecting done for the Oral History and Folklore Collection.

Dr Paula Hamilton, co-Director of the Australian Centre for Public History at the University of Technology, Sydney, gave the keynote address on popular culture and memory and the uniqueness of oral history as a discipline in a multimedia world. After morning tea Kevin Bradley, the Library's Curator of Oral History and Folklore, presented the new vision for the collection to the group, expanding on collection development directions for Oral History and Folklore, the introduction of new technologies to record oral history, and new (increased) rates of pay for the interviewers.

The Oral History and Folklore Collection, though a distinct one, is nonetheless part of the larger NLA collection. Manuscripts are another part, and our interviewers, being in a sense ambassadors for the Library, are often in a position to raise the topic of personal papers with their interviewees. Emma Jolley, Senior Archivist from the Manuscripts Branch, spoke to the group about the kind of material the Manuscript Collection is interested in and ways to approach discussion of the acquisition of manuscripts and papers. Pictures form another part of the larger collection, and Kevin Bradley described how interviewers will be encouraged to take a small number of pictures of interviews for inclusion in the Library's collections.

The middle part of the day was devoted to the practicalities of oral history interviewing for the Library. Papers were given by staff members Shelly Grant and Dave Blanken (demonstration of latest recording equipment, hard disc recorders), Dianne Dahlitz (new format for timed summaries), Lasha van Leuvan (Library requirements regarding submission of invoices for payment), and Catherine Argus and Simone Lark (online audio delivery and the involvement of the Digital Collections Manager system and the catalogue).

The last session for the day was a panel discussion by three of the Library's most experienced interviewers, Susan Marsden, Daniel Connell and Rob Linn. Each talked about how they shape an oral history--the points they consider to be critical to conducting a good interview. Discussion ranged across the various approaches as interviewers shared their own methods and commented on others. However, with dinner looming the debate had to be curtailed, but during the meal all were invited to stand and lecture the Library on where the collection should be focusing its energies. The talks continued till late in the evening, all recorded with the aim of supporting the planning of our future collecting.

The dinner at the Boathouse Restaurant saw the end of a very successful day--a day where the many individuals involved in creating the Oral History and Folklore Collection came together as a community, and where separate experiences, skills and knowledge were shared.

Dianne Dahlitz

Senior Librarian, Oral History