The British Library Sound Archive's oral history collections cover an extensive range of subject areas and have been organised into the broad categories listed below in order to give an outline of the material held.
- Major national oral history projects and surveys
- Architecture and landscape design
- Arts and crafts
- Business and finance
- Education
- Ethnicity and post-colonialism
- Food and drink
- Industry, agriculture and employment
- Jewish experience in Britain and Holocaust testimonies
- Law and the legal system
- Medicine and health professionals
- Museums, libraries and heritage organisations
- Performing arts and music
- Personal health, mental health and disability
- Politics and government
- Religion and belief
- Science and technology
- Sexuality, reproductive health and prostitution
- Social policy and social movements
- Sport
- War, conflict and trauma
- Women's history
- Writing and publishing
Accessing the collections
To access sound and moving image material:
- Use the online Sound and Moving Image Catalogue to search for recordings.
- The Listening and Viewing Service provides free public access to the Sound Archive's collections of recorded sound and video in St Pancras. Sound recordings can be accessed in Boston Spa also.
- The Sound Archive Information Service is based in Humanities - floor 2 in St Pancras where books, discographies, periodicals and magazines are available on open access.
- Many sound recordings have been digitised and are presented on the British Library Sounds website. A large number of the recordings are freely available for listening online though some are restricted to users in accredited Higher Education establishments.
- The Transcription Service can provide copies of recordings once the appropriate copyright has been cleared.
Further information
Contact us
Oral History
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7405 (Rob Perks, Oral History Curator / Director of National Life Stories)
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7406 (Mary Stewart, Oral History Curator / Deputy Director of National Life Stories)
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7404 (Elspeth Millar, Oral History Archive Assistant)
Email: oralhistory@bl.uk
