National Library Live @ the National Folk Festival
Inside the National Library Lounge at the Festival
Live@theLounge: Graham McDonald interviewing Margaret RoadKnight, introduced by Di Dahlitz
Folk Fellows concert
Seaman Dan, interview projected onto the festival’s large screen
Di Dahlitz (Oral History and Folklore) and Robyn Holmes (Music and Dance) ride the bucking bronco
The National Library of Australia spent Easter away from home, ‘camped out’ for four days at the National Folk Festival in Canberra’s Exhibition Park. The Library showcased its collections and services at the Library’s Lounge, managed by more than 50 Library staff volunteers and located in the main performance venue. The collections were also exposed in numerous concerts, workshops and forums throughout the festival, especially by the National Folk Fellows and even at the drovers’ camp. New features of this year’s Library presence at the festival were an internet kiosk, supported by TransACT (a major ICT service provider), and a series of Live@theLounge interviews with major festival performers, capturing in front of a live audience the essence of the Library’s oral history interview process.
As one of the largest folk festivals in the country, the National Folk Festival attracts an audience of more than 50 000 participants from all over Australia, as well as hundreds of performers (some from overseas) performing across a range of genres. The festival provides a wonderful venue to spread the word about the Library's folk, music and dance collections, as well as the full range and diversity of the Library’s other collections, online and information services, publications and public programs.
The National Library is the repository of the largest and most significant folk collections in Australia, with field recordings documenting traditional music, spoken word, dance and folk heritage dating back to the nineteenth century, as well as an active program of contemporary collecting in all states. The Library and the National Folk Festival have in recent years been engaged in a range of collaborative ventures to actively increase awareness and understanding of the Library’s folklore collecting program, most notably through the annual joint National Folk Fellowship. The fellowship presents a unique opportunity for performers to research original folklore materials held in the Library and to use these to inform their performances and workshops, showcased at the festival. The 2006 National Folk Fellowship recipients, Adrian Barker and Ben Stephenson, rocked a large enthusiastic audience with their presentations on the hidden history of Irish music in Australia, and were joined by all the previous Folk Fellowship recipients in an uplifting concert. This year’s Fellowship program is now open for applications, and closes 30 June 2006.
The National Library’s participation in communal events like the National Folk Festival is dependent on volunteer staff, drawn from all sections of the Library. For their efforts, all Library volunteers, resplendent in colourful T-shirts, receive a free weekend pass, and many took this opportunity to spend most of Easter enjoying the joyous atmosphere and community spirit of the festival. The great conversations and lively interactions between staff who would not normally associate in their daily work life at the Library was a bonus.
Volunteers answered approximately 1000 inquiries on diverse subjects in the Lounge, explained the National Library’s institutional role, and guided people to use services such as Libraries Australia, MusicAustralia, Australia Dancing, PictureAustralia and AskNow! The public and wireless internet kiosk proved a great way to attract people to the Library’s Lounge. An estimated 1000 people took advantage of the free internet access, for such diverse tasks as checking emails, monitoring bids for musical instruments on eBay, recharging their mobile phones, doing internet banking, applying for jobs, and even checking their latest RSVP dates! The seven ‘Live@theLounge’ interviews were projected onto the main-stage screen, which greatly enhanced the viewing of these and other Library-sponsored festival events.
The National Library’s participation in the festival showcased the gamut of the nation’s rich folk traditions. It provided a unique opportunity to reach people of all ages and interests, in a relaxed and fun setting, and to engage their interest in, and appreciate the significance and value of, the collections in libraries across Australia.
Elizabeth MacKenzie, Kathy Rushton, Robyn Holmes



