Thought this might interest UK catters
Folk songs, sea shanties and children's rhymes are an integral part of Britain's heritage..... More than 2000 hours of recordings are to be made avaliable to the public thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery fund. the grant has been awarded to the British Library's National Sound Archive........ All collections are currently in private hands, mostly stored in shoe boxes, under beds, in cupboards.....The project aims to increase the study, understanding and enjoyment of English traditional music. The collections will be digitally recorded and made available to the public on listening posts at the BL's locations
article taken from "Managing Information" June 2001 p 17