Primary Collections
Our primary collections consist of archival holdings such as manuscripts, audiovisual archives, photographs and the UCT Historical Pamphlets and Photographs Collection.
Jagger Recovery Project at Special Collections
The University of Cape Town Libraries Special Collections consists of published and archival holdings considered significant to the institution. It was previously housed in the Jagger Library, until it was destroyed by fire in April 2021. Special Collections remains in recovery to rebuild and restore its world-renowned collections. Visit the Jagger Recovery page to learn more about our progress after the Jagger Library fire and recovery.
The University of Cape Town Libraries Special Collections consists of published and archival holdings considered significant to the institution. It was previously housed in the Jagger Library, until it was destroyed by fire in April 2021. Special Collections remains in recovery to rebuild and restore its world-renowned collections. Visit the Jagger Recovery page to learn more about our progress after the Jagger Library fire and recovery.
Manuscripts
Our archival holdings consist of original research material and personal papers on the political, social, cultural and economic history of Southern Africa, with a strong focus on the Western Cape.
Audiovisual Archive
The Audiovisual Archive includes some 20,000 items, including 35 and 16-mm film and video.
Photographs
The photographic archive in Special Collections has material that spans a period from the inception of photography to the present day, from fragile prints to digital format.
Getting Help
- Many of the archival finding aids are found on our database of finding aids Access to Memory, AtoM@UCT.
- Enquiries about archives & manuscripts can be emailed to lib-spcoll@uct.ac.za or Ask-a-Librarian.
Stories
Crate by Crate: Making Progress Visible in AV Recovery
The AV Archive (AVA) used to live in the basement of the Jagger Library. It was one of the first areas to be salvaged following the fire. As the water used to douse the flames accumulated in the basement, a decision was made to expedite...
Whose copyright is that? Perpetual copyright and indigenous languages in archives
Copyright is a limited-time monopoly. Which is a fancy way of saying that it doesn’t last forever. Eventually, it expires. Except when it doesn’t. How many things in South African archives have perpetual copyright? So very many.