Special Collections include scrapbooks and folders of press clippings on southern African topics compiled and donated by individual researchers and journalists as well as civil society organisations.
Special Collections holds runs of important press clippings bulletins on specific areas or themes, including AF Press Clips, Facts and Reports, and South African Press Clips.
The urgency to restore the AV collections in UCT Libraries Special Collections is underscored by their critical role in documenting the history of struggle, and transition to, human rights and democracy in South Africa.
Newspaper holdings are rich and varied, including nearly-complete runs of the Cape Argus and the Cape Times from the 19th century, as well as many community newspapers and press clippings.
Since the invention of pressure-sensitive tapes in the 1920’s, it became an ideal solution for a variety of applications. However, conservators know its long-term effects as disfiguring, damaging, and it is very very difficult to remove.