Oral History and Australian Generations

The articles in this theme issue of Australian Historical Studies use interviews from the Australian Generations Oral History Project to explore a range of issues in Australian social and cultural history and about the documentation, interpretation and use of oral history. Digital technologies are transforming access to and use of oral history. Digital indexing has made it easier for researchers to search for relevant material within interviews and across interview collections and, importantly, these technologies are enhancing access to the oral recording so that researchers are more likely to consider the layers of meaning embedded in voice and the ways in which people speak about their lives. Australian Generations is one of a number of large oral history projects, in Australia and abroad, that are pioneering digital technologies for oral history.