Public programming skills of archivists in selected national memory institutions of east and southern Africa
Saurombe, Nampombe; Ngulube, Patrick
The National Archives are an important part of South African society because
they serve as memory institutions. Fulfilling this mandate requires archivists
to encourage societal engagement with the archives. This article sought to
examine the role of an archivist’s knowledge and skills in promoting public
archival institutions. Therefore, the perceptions and experiences of the directors
of the National Archives, archivists who work at the National Archives and Executive Board members from the East and Southern Africa Regional Branch
of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) were explored. This was
achieved through administering questionnaires to all the directors of the National
Archives in the ESARBICA region, and conducting interviews with archivists
from this region as well as ESARBICA Executive Board members. The intention
was to identify whether archivists from the National Archives in the ESARBICA
region thought that they have the relevant skills to conduct public programming
initiatives; if public programming was part of the core archival curricula in the
region; and furthermore, to determine the availability and awareness of public
programming training and education in the region. The study provides an
overview of public programming, together with a better understanding of the
significance of archivists’ skills and knowledge regarding public programming in
the mission of encouraging greater use of archives.
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