Helping to share resources prevents duplication of effort, and expands our knowledge of problems and possibilities in the sector. “Archive” as we use it means not only records or books in archives and libraries, but memory, cultural practice, and places that tell the stories of the past.

The archival system is currently facing degradation because of the low priority afforded to it by the state and by the public. A non-functional archive could result in the loss of monitoring and evaluation capacity, poorer governance and a loss of historical memory. We do, however, have a window of opportunity to understand more about this problem and address it.

What digitisation projects have been established across South Africa? How have these digital archives been used, what factors have increased / limited their use and how could they be better used in future?

Education in the sector should link theory and practice to the needs of the broadly defined sector, but to do this we need better engagement between practitioners, government and academics.

We need to be looking at government and other investment in the sector as well as current and future benefits of this investment. These benefits include relatively intangible public benefits (social cohesion, mutual understanding) as well as tangible profits and opportunities for profit generated from tourism and other uses of heritage resources.