Folklore Far and Wide
The Second National Folklore Conference will be held at the National Library in April 2006. Last year’s conference focused on folklore collections. This year’s theme is the dissemination of folklore from collections and archives to wider audiences and applications.
The National Library's Folklore collection contains a lot of folklore field tapes that document Australia ’s post-war folklife revival. It also contains recordings that give an insight into Australia 's migrant cultural experience. The archives of some well-known folklore collectors and organisations are held in the Manuscript Collection.
The Library’s Dianne Dahlitz from Oral History and Folklore Branch and Donna Vaughan from Manuscripts Branch will tell conference participants about to ‘Finding your way into the folklore collections at the National Library’. Practical demonstrations in the presentation will include navigating your way into and around a Manuscript finding aid, using the guide to Bill Wannan's Papers as an example, and a preview of Oral History's new and developing audio delivery system.
The Library offers alternative services to researchers who are unable to use the material in person in the Library's reading rooms, such as interlibrary loan and the Library's online purchase system, Copies Direct.
Donna Vaughan
Manuscripts Branch