Audio Collection
The Archives has a large collection of audio material with spoken word and music. Since the 1980s Archives staff have been recording Shetlanders, and people connected with Shetland, about their life stories and careers.
Some recordings stand out. Willie Nicolson, telling about how he survived an open boat fishing disaster in 1900; Albert Nisbet, Shetland’s last Jutland survivor; the redoubtable Jeannie Jarmson talking about her work in the hosiery business; Jenny Gilbertson, who came to Shetland from Glasgow and made films, describing the ups and downs of her business, and how she made her own record of Shetland life on film.
There are also two major collections of audio material. Dr Tom Anderson created an important body of traditional music recordings in Shetland, from the 1950s onwards. BBC Radio Shetland has been broadcasting since 1977. From that date, through to the 1990s, there is a good sample of the daily news from Shetland, and other programmes made by the station.
Most of this material is available to listen to in the Archives searchroom.