Taking stock: South African Society of Archivists from the 1960s to beyond the millennium

Abstract

The paper provides a brief overview of the history of the South African Society of Archivists from its inception in 1959 to the present. It outlines the early years (1960s) the Society fell heavily under the influence of the then State Archives Service and its gradual development into a truly professional and all-inclusive organisation geared towards the furtherance of the archival profession. The important role played by the SA Archives Journal (hereafter Journal) in furthering professional best practice in an ever changing environment is highlighted. Sub-jects regarding terminology, ethics, conservation, appraisal, electronic media and training were covered. In the socio-political transition period of the 1990s, the Society played an im-portant role in all issues of importance to the country‟s archives, either by action or through the Journal. It was dynamic and encouraged active debate by way of seminars and interna-tional conferences, reaching its pinnacle in the 1990s. Apathy and difficulty in getting mem-bers to actively administer the Society, resulted in its steady decline until 2003 when – to all intents and purposes – it ceased to exist. Attempts to revive it in 2005 failed. In 2008 a con-ference at UNISA elected a steering committee to resuscitate SASA, an initiative which is slowly bearing fruit.

Keywords: South African Society of Archivists, state archives, records, history