Jagger Library Recovery

  • Crate by Crate: Making Progress Visible in AV Recovery
    Andrea Walker is an archivist in Special Collections, working with the AV Archive. 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 […]
  • Human Rights in the AV Archive
    By Andrea Walker, audiovisual archivist This Human Rights Day, we’re highlighting the collections in the AV Archive that have a large human rights component. There are 44 collections in the AV Archive, almost entirely falling into six categories. BVF44—Orphans, is the only collection that does not fall into a category. It is made up of […]
  • Published Collections – Our Ongoing Recovery – Nearly Two Years On
    by Mandy Noble Mandy Noble is the Principal Librarian for Published Collections in Special Collections at UCT Libraries. Nearly two years have passed since the devastating fire on April 18, 2021, which saw the destruction of the Jagger Reading Room and all the contents therein. The salvage of the library materials that were not damaged […]
  • Fragments of the African Film Collection Survived the Fire
    By Andrea Walker with  Bev Angus Andrea Walker is an audiovisual archivist in Special Collections, chiefly responsible for the Audiovisual Archive. Bev Angus retired at the end of 2021, after decades working in Special Collections, curating the African Film Collection. Initially believed to be entirely destroyed by fire, the AV team has recovered at least […]
  • Film students and the Digital archive
    By Susan Mvungi Susan Mvungi is an archivist in the Primary Collections Department in Special Collections, UCT Libraries Susan Harris showing film students how to use the Cintel scanner (Scans 16mm and 35mm film) The Audio-visual archive was water damaged from the Jagger Library fire in April 2021, as it was housed in the basement. […]