Opinions
Category: Archival Platform
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Archives and Records Management: striking a balance
National and provincial archives are tasked with two key responsibilities: “the proper management and care of the records of governmental bodies” and “the preservation and use of a national archival heritage”. Jo-Anne Duggan considers the records relating to the change of street names in cape Town and concludes that when resources are scare and capacity limited it’s critical to strike a balance between these competing priorities
To whose stories will our archives be witness?
Harriet Deacon ponders on the stories told in South African galleries, museum exhibitions, archives and national heritage sites and wonders if there are imbalances and how they have been dealt with, and what new heritage forms have been acknowledged, and why.
Genres of the trace: memory, archives and trouble
An personal anecdote, extracted from a paper by Verne Harris in which he addresses the troubled and troubling relationship between archives and memory.
The Archival Platform visits Limpopo
Mbongiseni Buthelezi shares some observations about the Archival Platform’s visit to Limpopo and notes that, while the province faces many (archival) challenges, great strides are being made, largely due to the single-minded determination of individual officials!
Nokhanyo Mhlana
The Archival Platform Team pays tribute to Nokhanyo Mhlana who passed away unexpectedly on 24 February 2013.
Curating ‘Uncontained: opening the Community Arts Project archive’
Emile Maurice describes the choices and decisions that were made in the process of curating this exhibition, considers the role of the artist in post-apartheid South Africa and makes a cogent argument for the development of a viable and active community arts dispensation.
The NAAIRS: Promoting (or blocking) access to archival information!
Jo-Anne Duggan comments on the failure of the National Automated Archival Information System (NAAIRS) reports on the Department of Arts and Culture’s actions to remedy the situation and shares some information about some impressive new developments.
Depression, Despair and Danger: Digitisation at the Cape Town Deeds Office
The Archival Platform has received a rather disturbing communication about the state of records held by the Deeds Office in Cape Town. This post outlines the significance and responsibilities of the Deeds Office, describes the deplorable state of the records and makes some recommendations for improving the situation.
Oral histories and archiving memories in South Africa
Katie Mooney notes that collecting, and conserving memories cannot be achieved without employing oral history as a methodological tool and asks if enough is being done to ensure that this resource is preserved for the future.
Royal Archives Opened in Lesotho
Jesmael Mataga, Tefetso Mothibe and Maseokho Matsoai share information about the work and significance of Lesotho’s Royal Archives and Information Centre which opened to the public in November 2012.
The Open Government Partnership: What this means for records management and archives
Jo-Anne Duggan takes a closer look at this initiative, the commitments it requires from government and concludes that it may have a positive effect on archives and records management practice!
The Archival Platform visits the Free State and dashes across the border to Lesotho!
Jo-Anne Duggan reports on the Archival Platform’s visit to Lesotho and reflects on some of the issues this raised.
The Archival Platform Visits KwaZulu-Natal
The Archival Platform returned from their journey to KwaZulu Natal encouraged and inspired by the energy in the archival sector.
The Auditor General’s findings on the Department of Arts and Culture 2012
The AGSA presented an overview of its audit findings on the Department of Arts and Culture and its entities to the Parliamentary Committee on Arts and Culture on 9 October 2012. While the AGSA’s comments are pertinent and pressing, the Archival Platform is interested in what was said or, more importantly, not said about the National Archives: to probe the gaps and silences, and ask why the dire situation of the National Archives is almost invisible in this report.
The Protection of Personal Information Bill: safeguarding privacy or permitting secrecy?
The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) has huge implications for all institutions or organisations which gather, retain, disseminate and dispose of personal information. It poses particular challenges for archival institutions which will have to manage their holdings far more robustly in future and develop appropriate codes of conduct for the management of personal information.
