The 150th - Year Watershed - a Secure Digital Repository Created for Standard Bank Heritage Centre

Abstract

This concept paper provides a historical narrative of Standard Bank through the company’s heritage centre. The study also provides background to the establishment of a secure digital repository at Standard Bank Heritage Centre. The narrative is based on the author’s experience and involvement in the management of Standard Bank Heritage Centre over a period of years. It is concluded that while the journey from paper to digital environment proved successful so far at Standard Bank, the digital world remains problematic especially with regard to skills for preservation. To control the environment, the heritage centre relies on the IT technical experts to handle updates and general maintenance of digital systems while archivists only monitor from the operational side. It is recommended that archivists need to be IT literate in order to take control of digital records.