South Africa: Workshop on Digitisation of Archives

From 24 to 28 June 2019, two experts from the National Archives of the Netherlands (NAN) conducted a 5-day course on digitisation of archives at the Western Cape Archives and Records Service (WCARS) in Cape Town, South Africa. Within the framework of the Shared Cultural Heritage Programme, the NAN and the WCARS work closely together to preserve, digitise and present archival collections concerning the shared history of the Netherlands and South Africa. For that purpose, a Memorandum of Agreement for a long-term cooperation between both institutions was signed in October 2018.

Sharing experiences

Sixteen participants from the WCARS and various other (provincial) archives in South Africa attended the digitisation workshop. Some of them already had some experience with digitisation projects, while for others it was a first introduction to the process.

The goal of the workshop was to share the experiences and best practices of the NAN regarding digitisation of archives, and to address the different steps that should be taken into account before starting (and during) a digitisation project. There is no one-size-fits-all method for digitisation of archives, and different types of documents require different expertise and techniques. Therefore, the training aimed to guide the participants in identifying the appropriate method of digitisation for their institution and the archival materials they have. Topics like quality control and sustainable storage of scans, metadata, and online presentation of the materials were also included in the workshop.

In the upcoming years, the NAN and the WCARS will work together on the digitisation of the East India Company (VOC) archives vested in Cape Town, to enlarge the accessibility of these historical documents.