Archives celebrates #IAD18 with the Paarl community

On 8 June 2018, the Western Cape Archives and Records Service of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) celebrated  International Archives Day (#IAD18)  at the Paarl Library.

The theme for #IAD18 is Archives: Governance, Memory and Heritage. 

Archivists at the Provincial Archives, Dr Gustav Hendrich, Thando Bukwana and Amy Van Wezel, shared their knowledge and expertise on the provincial archives, history and the importance of preserving our archives for future generations. The display and presentation also highlighted some of the records relating to the Paarl and Drakenstein areas and the benefit the public can gain from accessing their own heritage.

The younger generation was impressed to learn that the Archives and Records Service in Roeland Street is the oldest archive in our country and that it has recently invested in the latest trend of going digital. The process of scanning the 70km of records is to be done over a couple of years.

Local community members took a keen interest in the National Automated Archival Information Retrieval System (NAAIRS) online search engine that can be used primarily for remote access for freelance research on the NAAIRS database.

The Archives connects people, places and cultures. Let’s preserve our rich history for present and future generations, BETTER TOGETHER.