Proposed independent organisational structure for memory institutions in Zimbabwe and South Africa

Purpose The idea of convergence of cultural institutions, especially the libraries, archives and museums (LAMS) to operate as one, has a long theoretical history which unfortunately has not been translated into practice. This subject has been discussed by a number of scholars but the implementation has just remained theoretical with only a few countries practically adopting such an organisational structure. In Africa, this concept of LAMS is yet to gain traction. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is aimed at proposing such LAMS structures for African nations, especially in Zimbabwe and South Africa considering the emergence of community “archives” which have blurred further the distinction between museology, archiving and librarianship. The motivation in advocating for the adoption of LAMS is also driven by the theory behind participatory archives which thrive on the advanced use of internet including social media platforms that can make it possible to have one-stop virtual archive on the cloud that also incorporates museums and libraries. Design/methodology/approach This is a concept paper which reviewed the literature on national and community archives in Zimbabwe and South Africa which were purposively selected because of their long history in archiving. This was done to come up with a proposed “independent” national heritage organisational structure. “Independent” structure because this paper was based on the assumption that the independence of decision-making in national archival structures in Zimbabwe and South Africa is compromised and biased towards the ethos of political parties’ ruling governments. Findings Proposed integrated framework for community archives into the sustainable national archival system which also incorporates the role that can be played by universities. The framework is likely to be feasible and of benefit in the countries that are struggling to have national mainstream independent archives which are just not paying allegiance to those who are in power. Originality/value This study is unique in the sense that it mixes LAMS and the concept of independent archival structure in a regional comparative nature that involves Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Expanding Dance Archives: Access, Legibility, and Archival Participation

The ample attention the archivisation of dance has received in recent years primarily focused on new archival formats that often rely on digital technologies or which relocate the archive into choreography and the dancing body. Even though these more experimental approaches are vital in broaching new avenues for dance archivisation, this article takes a step back by considering how existing archival structures can be expanded in order to increase both the accessibility and legibility of archive materials. Interweaving a personal account of doing archival research with a discussion of recent debates within both dance studies and archival science, the aim is to set up an interdisciplinary dialogue between two domains that have been operating in a remarkably isolated manner despite their mutual interests. Taking my cue from how the notion of ‘participatory archives’ is gaining prominence in archival practice and scholarship, I argue that enlarging the input of archival information may lead to a greater output with regard to both archival research and community outreach.

Participatory Archives: Theory and Practice. Edward Benoit, III and Alexandra Eveleigh, eds.

The archival community continues to expand its reliance on digital tools to yield dynamic user engagement and increased access to collections. Editors Edward Benoit, III and Alexandra Eveleigh posit that the advancement of web technology during the last two decades increased the scope and impact of participatory archives. Benoit, currently a professor at the School of Library & Information Science at Louisiana State University, is the founder of the Virtual Footlocker Project, focusing on digital tools for soldiers to document their military experience. Eveleigh, Collections Information Manager at the Wellcome Collection, focuses her research on digital humanities and the impact of user participation.