African Studies Library at University of Cape Town Needs Your Help!

Please note that this is not official information from the University of Cape Town Libraries regarding their needs at this time. SAA recommends waiting to take action until we know more. (04/20/2021)

The African Studies Library and Special Collections at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, was ravaged by a fire on April 18, with significant losses of rare and invaluable resources. The library houses printed and audiovisual materials,1,300 sub-collections of unique manuscripts and personal papers, and more than 85,000 books and pamphlets on African studies, including contemporary materials as well as works on Africa and South Africa printed before 1925. In addition, the library contains one of the most extensive African film collections in the world, according to the university’s website.

The University of Cape Town asks that archivists put a call out at their respective institutions to researchers to archive and digitize any materials they may have copied, photographed, or recorded at the library.

Please spread the word via your professional and personal networks. Thank you!