Celebrating Africa Day
This year marks 20 years since the ǂKhomani San Land Claim Agreement was signed at Molopo. Hugh Brody, a British anthropologist, writer and director, worked during the 1990s to document the project.
Human Rights in the AV Archive
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.
Primary Collections
Our primary collections consist of archival holdings such as manuscripts, audiovisual archives, photographs and the UCT Historical Pamphlets and Photographs Collection.
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.
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...
Exploring architectural archives in recovery
Promoting public awareness of our rich architectural legacy at the University of Cape Town. The collections include the professional papers and project plans of 20th-century Cape Town architects.
A Labour of Love: Scrapbooks, Clippings, and the Preservation of Memory
Scrapbooks and albums are more than just collections of paper; they are carefully curated keepsakes of lives lived, moments cherished, and histories remembered.
Special Collections
Special Collections is the preservation library and archive of UCT Libraries, with an array of rare holdings in a
range of formats.