When Hazel de Berg began recording life stories in 1957, the expensive machine she used was cumbersome, heavy and rare. Reel-to-reel tape recorders had only been in Australia for several years; she taught herself to use one and sought advice on the technology from a friend at the ABC. But Ms de Berg's best tool was her natural ability to persuade people to talk — a charm and a persistence which eventually resulted in an extraordinary oral history collection at the National Library of Australia (NLA). For full story click here.