Oral histories form a dynamic part of social history exhibitions in museums. They’ve been a key part of sharing authority and devolving the curatorial voice. The creation of these resources—the oral history audio and transcript—pose questions about the preservation of and access to Australia’s audiovisual culture.

This round-table will explore questions of exhibition design and also explore questions relating to the life and afterlife of oral histories within museum collections. Panelists will offer examples from current and past exhibitions that have integrated oral histories or have necessitated the creation of new oral history projects.

How do oral histories and  first-person narratives ‘work’ in museum spaces, and what is their relationship to objects? How have these oral histories been preserved and made available as research resources within museum collections? What practices are in place to ensure preservation and access?