The North Otago Museum has about 700 visual, sound and oral history recordings stretching from the 1930s, and museum archives curator Eva Garbutt (above) said the collection provided an accessible way to experience the full "flavour" of local heritage.
"It just captures more of the flavour of people, their voices and their humour. It is able to capture people that might not otherwise be heard - that's the real value of it," Ms Garbutt said.
The museum has posted a short film and interview by Jacqui Foley with former Appleby's Gift Shop owner Douglas Appleby of Palmerston on the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage Facebook page. A full list of the museum's oral history collection Is available on request.
She said it could be well worth people investigating the collection asone of their relatives may have been recorded.
She said audiovisual recordings such as oral histories, radio, films and television programmes were now the primary means by which modern history was captured.
The museum was now investigating ways to transfer its video and cassette collection on to memory sticks, and a new oral history project to interview people of importance to the area had just begun, she said.
