Oral History - guide to resources: 1890-1899

[This resource is currently unavailable as an ongoing consequence of the 2023 cyberattack targeting the British Library. Currently the only way to access sound files from the British Library collection is by making an appointment to visit the Reading Rooms in St Pancras. Please refer to the interim Sound & Moving Image Catalogue ]

Some sound extracts can be accessed through the Library's Soundcloud page.

The British Library has an extensive collections of sound recordings, including oral history resources on a wide range of subjects.

Topics: Anthropology & Folklore; Arts & Culture; Education; People; Politics & Government; Science & Medicine; War & Conflict; Work

Keywords: portal

This archive holds the audio and transcript collections for three oral history projects conducted by Elizabeth Roberts and Lucinda McCray Beier during the 1970s and 1980s on the social and family life of Barrow, Lancaster and Preston from 1890 to 1970. In total, the Archive contains the oral testimony of over 260 respondents.The original reel-to-reel tapes are now held in the sound collections of Lancashire Archives. This website hosts the transcripts of interviews and can be searched in multiple ways.

Topics: People

Keywords: community, death; family

This oral history project was commissioned to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Oral history interviews were conducted with Irish people about their experiences of the GAA and its impact on their lives. A number of these interviews are available to read and listen to on the project website.

Topic: Arts & Culture; People

Keywords: family; migration; religion; sport; women

[no longer freely available.] In the First Person is an in-depth index of thousands of collections of English language personal narratives from around the world. Along with diary entries and letters, the index contains approximately 17,00 entries for oral history. The index is searchable by keyword.

Topics: Anthropology & Folklore; Arts & Culture; Education; People; Politics & Government; Science & Medicine; War & Conflict; Work

Keywords: portal

The National Folklore Collection's Audio & Video materials feature some 12,000 hours of audio recordings, including a large collection of early audio formats such as wax cylinders, acetate disks, wire-tape and magnetic-tape recordings. The interviews recorded cover many aspects of Irish folklore, folk music, ethnology and oral history, and were collected, for the most part, by professional fieldworkers. The recordings are in English and in Irish, with other languages, such as Breton, Manx and Scottish Gaelic, also represented. 329 hours of audio have been digitised via the Dúchas project.

Topics: Anthropology & Folklore

Keywords: customs; folktales; music; songs

YouTube provides access to a large quantity of resources, both oral history interviews and information videos on the conduct and practice of oral history. Some organisations, archives and oral history projects have their own YouTube channels.

Topics: Anthropology & Folklore; Arts & Culture; Education; People; Politics & Government; Science & Medicine; War & Conflict; Work

Keywords: portal