Key collections

  • ARD (German public broadcasting corporation) materials on southern Africa from 1984 to 2004
  • The Community Video Education Trust collection from the 1980s
  • Work by significant filmmakers such as Craig Matthew, Lindy Wilson, Liza Key, and Mark Kaplan.

We also house a number of film festival collections and orphan works. Special Collections preserves these historic films regardless of format.

Guide to Audio Visual Archives at UCT Libraries

Other Primary Sources

Photo of personal written notes from Olive Schreiner Collection

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.
Women inside local corner shop in Cape Town. Loaf of bread and milk carton on counter

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.