Activities

Seminars and Workshops 2010  The Oral History Association of Australia (NSW) Inc and
the State Library of New South Wales

Unless otherwise indicated Seminars and Workshops are held in the Metcalfe Auditorium, Macquarie Street Wing, State Library of New South Wales,  Sydney

Sat. Feb 20

Oral History Master Class with Bill Bunbury, well known  broadcaster and documentary maker, and a Life Member of OHAA 
Drawing on his extensive experience Bill discussed practical issues about interviewing techniques - how he frames an interview - his approach to research - preliminary interviewing - the development of questions and themes - and how to shift the pace when it is clear the interview is not quite working.  

 Saturday May 8 

 

Beth Robertson - Manager, Preservation at the State Library of South Australia and author of the Oral History Handbook ORAL HISTORY : MOVING FROM ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL RECORDING -THE RACE AGAINST TIME

Beth discussed the imperatives of moving to digital technologies to ensure that the recordings you produce today can be preserved for the future. Managers of institutional collections as well as individuals face these challenges.  Beth made clear the importance of digitising existing analogue recordings while the necessary playback equipment is still available.  She reassured us that you can indeed use the new technology without anxiety and enjoy its many advantages.

Sat. July 31

10 am for 10.30 am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.15 - 4.45pm

SESSION 1

ORAL HISTORY GOING TO PRESS:  How to publish from the interviews

Laila Ellmoos, historian, Government Architects' Office, author and winner of a State Library Scholarship in 2007, talks about Island of Peter Pan or Islandof the Damned?: writing a history of people with an intellectual disability resident on Peat Island, NSW.     

and

Dr. Jo Kijas, consulting historian, author and National Trust cultural heritage awards winner will discuss her recent award-winning oral history project Lighthouses of Northern New South Wales for the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water.
Her talk is entitled Lighthouse Keeping : a partnership 

SESSION 2
Rosie Block will teach the practice and technique of oral history 

Afternoon seminars include:

  • introduction to oral history
  • nature and reliability of memory
  • interviewing techniques
  • equipment
  • documentation
  • ethical issues, ownership and copyright
  • transcription and logging
  • listening to tape excerpts                       

 Click here to download registration form

 

Saturday Nov. 6 

Siobhan McHugh, academic, oral historian and award-winning author and documentary-maker will present 'From Rough Diamond to a Gem: cutting and polishing oral history for radio broadcast'.

and

Reports of the 2011 International Oral History Conference in Prague from our Scholarship Winners - Denise Phillips and Barbara Karpinski

Put this date in your diary - booking is not yet open
 

 

Enquiries to Rosemary Block, State Library of New South Wales (02) 9273.1697 email: rblock@sl.nsw.gov.au 

Ideas exchange

Morning seminars conclude at 12.30 pm with lunch available when booked with registration.

Take the opportunity to meet other members and informally exchange ideas over tea and coffee after lunch. 

 

 

For your interest and the record : 2009 Workshop and Seminar Program    

Sat May 9  The Voice of Times Past: broadcasting memory on ABC Radio National  -  Catherine Freyne, Producer ABC-TV Social History and Features Unit
Catherine spoke about her oral history experience in radio.  She described how subjects are selected, how material is collected, how programs are made and played fascinating excerpts from the vaults.  

Sat. June 20  Digital Recording Equipment - a workshop with hands-on experience
An opportunity to ask our friendly experts all  those  questions  you've  wanted to ask.   Participants brought along their own equipment for one-on-one advice on how to use it, also a group session to learn about and practise on the Edirol which is the OHAA's recorder of choice.  Help was offered in setting up computers for logging/transcribing with software.  All under the eye and with the advice of our experts Frank Heimans, John Hockney, Ben Oakley, Sue Rosen and Peter Rubinstein.  

July 5  Recorded memories of my family from Bohemia to Bateman's Bay - Whose story is it?
Presenter : George Imashev, formerly of the Australian War Memorial
                           and
Photographs worth a thousand words
Sue McClean and France Rush, historians and members of the OHAA will combine to examine selected photographs as inspiration and background for history and oral history.  Sue McClean will address 'Remembering Burdekin House - a mystery'.  Frances Rush will present 'A Bea in my bonnet' - memories of Bea Miles.  

Nov 7 Inside the City of Sydney - by voice!  
  
Sydney Stories: building the city of Sydney's oral history collections 
Margo Beasley, Oral History Program, City of Sydney
                     and
Using sound to furnish the Museum, both inside and outside the house: Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks 
Anna Cossu, Curator, Susannah Place Museum

During the year Rosie Block, Curator of Oral History, State Library of NSW, conducted three practical sessions following the morning seminars .  These provided an introduction to the practice and technique of oral history