The historian and the archives : a 1995 South African perspective

Abstract

Afrikaans

Die historikus en die argiewe : 'n Suid-Afrikaanse perspektief vir 1995 Die katalogisering van dokumente deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Argiefdiens het besonder gebaat by rekenarisering. Veral die NAREM-projek, wat dokumente in staatsargiewe en in semi-private en private argiewe dek, is 'n betekenisvolle ontwikkeling. Soos argivale tegnieke het ook die dissipline geskiedenis verander, veral sedert die verskyning van die revisionistiese skool van geskiedskrywers. Sosiale geskiedenis en in besonder "history from below" ('n belangrike dimensie daarvan) het nuwe eise aan argivarisse gestel, wat die versameling en evaluering van mondelinge bronne insluit. Samewerking tussen historici en argivarisse is belangrik, veral ten opsigte van die bewaring van nie-amptelike dokumente in private besit, maar ook om historici op te lei in die gebruik van primêre bronne. Toestande in die Suid-Afrikaanse argiewe is relatief gunstig. Nogtans ondervind navorsers enkele frustrasies. Een daarvan is die hoë koste verbonde aan navorsing, en die mikroverfilming van argiefgroepe op 'n groot skaal word aan die hand gedoen. 'n Ander probleem is die verkryging van toestemming om dokumente te raadpleeg. Dit sluit in arbitrêre besluite deur amptenare in die geval van staatsdokumente en selektiewe embargo's op private dokumente, skynbaar vanweë skenkingsvoorwaardes. 'n Wysiging van die argiefwet in eersgenoemde geval en oorreding van skenkers om dokumente sonder beperkinge beskikbaar te stel in laasgenoemde geval, word voorgestel.

English

Computerisation has been extremely beneficial to the South African Archives Service in cataloguing documents. In particular the NAREM project, covering documents in state archives and in semi-private and private archives has been a major development. Like archival techniques, the discipline of history has changed,particularly since the emergence of the revisionist school of historians.Social history and especially "history from below" (an important dimension thereof) has provided new challenges to archivists, including the collection and assessment of oral sources. Co-operation between historians and archivists is essential particularly with regard to the preservation of non-official documents in private possession; also in the training of historians in the use of primary sources. Notwithstanding relatively favourable conditions in South African archives, researchers have a few frustrations. One is the high cost of doing research, and microfilming of archival groups on a large scale is suggested as a possible solution. Another problem is difficulty in obtaining access to documents, involving arbitrary decisions by officials in the case of state documents and selective embargoes on private documents apparently due to donors' conditions. Pressure on authorities to amend the archives act is suggested in the first case and persuading donors to make documents available without restrictions in the second.