Sound Recordings: Introduction

Sound Recordings

In the National Archives

The National Archives of Australia

The National Archives of Australia ensures that full and accurate records documenting Commonwealth Government activities are created and kept. From this massive body of information, the Archives selects, cares for and makes available to all those records of continuing value. This collection constitutes the archives of the Commonwealth Government – a vast and rich resource for the study of Australian history, Australian society and the Australian people.

The collection spans almost 200 years of Australian history. Its main focus is on material documenting Federal government activities since Federation in 1901. However, the Archives has significant holdings of nineteenth-century records about functions transferred by the colonies to the Commonwealth Government at the time of Federation and subsequently.

Access to the National Archives collection is provided free of charge in public reading rooms located in each capital city. Researchers are assisted by specialist reference staff and are provided with reference tools to help them identify and use the records in the collection. These reference tools include the RecordSearch and PhotoSearch databases, guides, publications and fact sheets. Researchers unable to visit a reading room may seek information and help by telephone, mail, facsimile or email.

RecordSearch and PhotoSearch provide information about agencies, persons and series as well as descriptions of over two million individual records. They are available for online searching in reading rooms located in all offices of the National Archives, at the Australian War Memorial and on the National Archives website.

The National Archives website provides more information about the Archives, its collection and the services it offers. A visit to the site will help you determine whether the Archives holds records relevant to your research. Fact sheets on various topics are also available on the Archives website.

About this guide

This guide lists and describes the sound recordings held by the National Archives of Australia. It focuses on records created by agencies of the Commonwealth Government. The two main agencies whose records are listed in the guide are the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC), later the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, both Head Office and regional offices; and the Film Division, Department of Information (later Film Australia).

The guide also lists records created by departments of State such as the Department of Defence, boards and committees such as the Australian Bicentennial Authority, and agencies responsible for specific functions such as the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

The guide also lists sound recordings which are held among papers created by people closely associated with the Commonwealth Government, such as former federal politicians, including Prime Ministers and Ministers, senior public servants and defence personnel.

A range of aspects of Australian history and culture is represented in the sound holdings of the National Archives. Among the most varied and significant holdings are those created by agencies of the ABC. These are represented in most of the subject categories in this guide, and in many cases provide a contemporary view which is unique. The ABC collections include recordings of significant players in world and Australian events, musical compositions and performances of Australian composers and artists, sporting events and identities, and Aboriginal leaders and literary figures.

Series in this guide are listed within subject categories which have been imposed to facilitate its use. The subjects are:

In the largest category, Arts and Entertainment, the Australian Broadcasting Commission section has been further divided into General; Entertainment; Interviews, Talks and Current Affairs; Literature; Music; and Sport.

Within each subject category, series are listed by agency in chronological order of the first series created by each agency, except in the ‘Arts and Entertainment’ section where the ABC is listed first, because of the predominance of the material created by it. In the ‘Biography’ section, series are listed alphabetically by the name of the person creating them, with series created by two Commonwealth agencies (ABC and Film Division) listed at the end in chronological order of the first series created by each agency, as for most other sections.

There are many series which do not fit comfortably into a single subject category. For this reason, several series may be listed in more than one category.

Examples within series have been cited where item lists are available. These items are examples only, and researchers can search for further items that may be available. Dates have been quoted where available from Archives lists. In cases where dates are not listed, they may be available on the actual items or as part of recordings.

The original format of material is varied and consists of gramophone discs, cassette tapes, reel-to-reel tapes, micro-cassettes, digital audio tapes (DATs) and compact discs (CDs). The physical formats of the original sound recordings has meant that a degree of deterioration has occurred in the quality of the sound reproduction, in some cases resulting in inaudibility. Some of the original recordings are now over 50 years old and the originals – tapes or discs – were never of archival quality.

Other related paper records series may also be worth investigating, such as transcriptions of broadcasts, musical scores, sound sheets, photographs, registers and indexes. These can be located using RecordSearch.

The majority of series are held in the Sydney Office of the National Archives, with considerable holdings also in Canberra. The present location of the records is noted in the series description in the guide. It is wise always to check the location and availability of items before making a visit to a particular office.

Access to the records

Public access to the records in this guide is subject to the access provisions of the Archives Act 1983. In general, records of the Commonwealth Government are available for public access after 30 years. Records less than 30 years old may be made available earlier if they have been previously published or publicly broadcast. Conditions of access to personal archives may be stipulated by the donor.

Most series listed in the guide were created more than 30 years ago. Some series are more recent and have been included because they were in the public domain at the time. Many were broadcast, particularly ABC series, or were used to promote particular government initiatives such as the introduction of decimal currency, metric conversion, recruitment to the defence forces and public celebrations such as the Bicentenary and the Silver Jubilee.

Series created by the ABC can be requested for viewing through the National Archives, but for purchasing copies the ABC should be approached directly as it has a commercial function in this area. This applies to all ABC material of any age.

Copyright is another factor to be considered. While there is no restriction in obtaining access to items in the reading rooms of the National Archives, researchers should be aware of the provisions of the Copyright Act if they wish to publish or broadcast material.

Access arrangements

The format of original recordings varies considerably. Earlier recordings are on disc or have since been copied onto tape. More recent recordings have been made on audiovisual tapes, CDs and audio tapes to accompany film or video. In most cases, a reference copy will be provided in the reading room rather than risk damage to original material which is often fragile.

Arrangements to hear sound recordings vary from State to State according to facilities available. To obtain access to these records, follow the steps below.

Identify relevant items. This should be done in consultation with reference staff, using finding aids such as RecordSearch and this guide.

Request selected items. Complete the request form as for written records. It is always advisable to contact reference staff prior to a visit to check that items are available.

Listen to recording in reading room. Procedures for listening to items in the Reading Room vary from State to State (see table below).

Purchase copies if required. Copying arrangements vary from State to State according to facilities (see table below), and depending on the agency controlling the series. For ABC-controlled series, contact the ABC directly for purchase of copies. Note that there may be some deterioration in quality with copying. Arrangements need to be made in each case with the office concerned. In all cases, researchers should be aware of copyright implications.

Location	Listening facilities	Copying arrangements
Sydney	Tape recorder, CD player. If a reference copy is not available, one will be made, on tape or CD according to the preference of the researcher.	Tape or CD format, as required. A charge applies. There may be a delay of up to 10 working days but researcher will be advised.
Canberra	Listening facilities are available for most formats but prior arrangements need to be made. There may be a delay in providing some formats. Reference copies may be able to be provided, depending on the original format of the record.	The cost and time required for copying will vary according to the format of the original item.
Melbourne	No listening facilities. Researchers must pay rates charged by an outside contractor to make reference copies.	No in-house facilities for copying recordings. Copies made by a contractor and paid for by the researcher may be retained by the researcher.
Perth	Listening facilities for 78, 45 and 33¹/₃rpm discs, cassettes and video recordings. Researchers must pay rates charged by an outside contractor to make reference copies.	No in-house facilities for copying recordings. Copies made by a contractor and paid for by the researcher may be retained by the researcher.
Brisbane	No listening facilities. Researchers must pay rates charged by an outside contractor to make reference copies.	No in-house facilities for copying recordings. Copies made by a contractor and paid for by the researcher may be retained by the researcher.
Adelaide	Audio cassette and CD player but no vinyl record or reel-to-reel tape players. Onsite facilities to copy audio cassette tapes for reference purposes, but none for other sound recording formats – these would need to be made by an outside contractor.	No in-house facilities for copying recordings. Copies made by a contractor and paid for by the researcher may be retained by the researcher.
Hobart	No listening facilities. Researchers must pay rates charged by an outside contractor to make reference copies.	No in-house facilities for copying recordings. Copies made by a contractor and paid for by the researcher may be retained by the researcher.
Darwin	Tape recorder for listening to cassette tapes.	No in-house facilities for copying recordings. Copies made by a contractor and paid for by the researcher may be retained by the researcher.

Record descriptions

Each entry in this guide describes a group of records maintained together as a series. A series is made up of items, which are often individual files (sometimes volumes, sets of cards, photographs etc) received into the custody of the National Archives from the agency or person who created them. Series usually consist of many items, but occasionally they may consist of just a few items or even a single item.

The guide describes the content and function of each series listed, where available. Some entries also list selected items from the series. As a general rule, this guide identifies and describes rather than analyses the records. Researchers will need to make their own assessment of the value of information in an item. The following example shows how series entries appear in this guide.

1	RADIO ARCHIVES ORIGINAL SOUND RECORDINGS, SUBJECT CLASSIFIED SERIES, 1933–71			C1827
2	Recorded by:	1929–91	Australian Broadcasting Commission, Head Office, Radio Archives (CA 251)
3		Quantity:	10.89 metres (Sydney)
4		This series consists of original program recordings made by the ABC and processed on gramophone discs. The recordings cover a wide range of subject matter and are controlled by a subject classified system, for example RO = royalty and PO = politics.
5		Talk by Mrs F D Roosevelt – Hotel Australia, 1943		C1827, PO(O)55

Key

1	This information gives the series title and the date range of records in the series. The series number is shown on the right-hand side of the page.
2	This shows the agency or department that created the series, and the date range during which it created or recorded the records described. The Commonwealth Agency (CA) number is a unique identifier allocated by the National Archives to each agency. This number is used to retrieve more information about the agency and its records from RecordSearch.
3	This shows the total volume of records in the series and the office of the National Archives at which the series is held.
4	This provides a brief description of the subjects dealt with in the series. Please note that the size of tapes may be described in inches (").
5	This is an item in the series. It may be a file, tape, disc etc. It shows the title given to the item by the creating agency. Some item titles have been edited in this guide for clarity and consistency, and will differ from those appearing in RecordSearch. The item’s identifying number appears on the right-hand side of the page and must be quoted when requesting access to a record.

How the records are described

Citing the records

The correct citation of archival records is important both when requesting them and when referring to them in written or published works. Using proper citations will not only help staff to locate records more readily, but will also help other researchers to find cited material. The correct form of citation for records held by the National Archives of Australia is as follows: the name National Archives of Australia followed by a colon, the series number followed by a comma, and then the item number. The name National Archives of Australia may be abbreviated to ‘NAA’ provided the full name has been used in the first citation:

National Archives of Australia: C1827, PO(O)55
NAA: C1827, PO(O)55

Locating further information

More information can be found by searching the National Archives database, RecordSearch. It is available for online searching in reading rooms located in all offices of the National Archives, at the Australian War Memorial and on the National Archives website.

Reference inquiries can be made at any National Archives office, or by contacting the reference service by phone, fax or email. Contact details and addresses are shown in Appendix 2.