Interview with a Record Librarian at the SABC Record Library

Vickey Steyn, SABC Record Library

This is part of a series of blog posts to gain a better understanding of the SABC Record Library, as well as part of a series of blog posts about the Media Libraries. The interviews are generating a better understanding of what we do in the different sections that we belong to.

The interview this week is with Vickey Steyn, a Record Librarian in the SABC Record Library.

The Record Library houses recorded music, previously unavailable, as well as all genres of recorded music, including Jazz, Gospel, Kwaito, Rap, Rave, Classical, World, Light, Mood, Sound Effects and others. The music is regularly accessed by staff and made available to internal clients.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. (Where you grew up, where and what you studied and your work experience before you joined the SABC Record Library)

I grew up in Heidelberg Gauteng, where I am residing to this day. I went to AG Visser Primary School, and matriculated in 2002 at Hoër Volkskool. After school I didn’t want to study, so I worked at Pick a Pay for a year. Following that I waitressed at Heidelberg Pub en Restaurant during the night and worked at Evermaster Int. Import and Export Company during the day.  Evermaster closed down and moved overseas. I then worked for AVBOB as an administration clerk.  In 2007 I joined the SABC as a Receptionist, and after two years I applied for the vacancy in the Record Library…  And this is where my journey began!

Please tell us about a normal day in your office. What music do you give priority to?

A normal day in my office is to capture music cd’s on the Record Library system.  Every Tuesday we receive cd’s from different record companies.  You mingle with different personalities at the record companies. After we’ve received the cd’s we have to listen to it so that we can give it a classification to capture it on the system.  I’m also doing the TOP 20 every week. It is called “The Top 20 sales of CD’s sold” which RSG is broadcasting on air every Saturday between 13:00 and 14:00; it’s also placed on the web on a weekly basis. 

Do you struggle with technical difficulties, and if so, what?

Yes, but it usually get sorted out very quickly by Gary from BIT.  Didn’t come across anything yet that couldn’t be sorted out.

Tell us why you enjoy doing the work that you do.

There is not a thing in my work that I don’t enjoy… Everything that I’m doing is satisfying.  Sometimes there are times that you struggle with something, but it’s not a huge thing that spoils your work situation.  I work with great colleagues. I can’t imagine a working day without them.  They make you feel like being part of a team, and with this “team” you can never have a dull moment or feel left out!


Related posts:
Interview with an assistant record librarian in the SABC Record Library
Interview with Aaron Magoro at the SABC Record Library
Interview with a Systems Adiministrator at the SABC Record Library


Questions and blog post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.

Interview with the Personal Assistant to the Manager of the Media Libraries: Porcia Ntozini

Porcia Ntozini, PA to the Manager of the SABC Media Libraries

The Media Libraries is an information hub for the SABC and was formed by bringing together relevant sections in 1996 to provide content and information to Radio and TV, both audio and print.
Porcia Ntozini is the PA to Ilse Assmann, the Manager of the SABC Media Libraries, since 2008. The Media Libraries at this stage consists of the SABC Radio Archives, the SABC Music Library, the SABC Record Library, the SABC Information Library and SABC Audio Restoration. Porcia attends to all these departments’ administrative needs as well!

Please give us a short overview of your life and career. (Where you grew up, where and what you studied and your work experience before you joined the SABC Media Libraries)

I was born in (Tladi) Soweto.
I attended my schooling in Soweto.
After obtaining my matric certificate I went to Lesley Carnelly Business College to study Business Skills in which I excelled.
 I was one of the 10th students which were selected for Internship with big Organisations like SABC, ESKOM, and ERNEST & YOUNG etc.
So that’s how I joined SABC as a young lady in 1994 as an Intern at Protection Services. I am now married with 3 children.
I managed to get a permanent post at Protection Services as a Clerk.
Later in years I was the Secretary of the department until 2008.
In March 2008 I was appointed at Travel Office as a Finance Administrator but I didn’t stay long.
In December 2008 joined Media Library as An Administrator.
In 2010 I enrolled with UNISA to study Purchasing & Supply Management programme which I obtained the certificate for; I am so proud of myself.

Please tell us about a normal day in your office.

I have to answer phones promptly and professionally and take messages and direct calls.
The smooth running of the office, typing, travel arrangements, processing payments, loading requests and reservations are also part of my daily assignments. I have to arrange meetings and take and distribute minutes. I look after the processing of special leave and sundry debtors. I am liaising with staff all the time.

How do you cope with handling the different sections in the Media Libraries?

By treating everybody equally and attending to their queries or needs as promptly as I can.

Do you have any issues with regards technical difficulties?
Not really we have a SAP help desk & consultants who looks after the systems.

Do you have an interesting anecdote about your work her in the SABC Media Libraries during your years here at the SABC?

When I joined the Media Libraries I found that there were outstanding payments for different supplies. The reason was SABC introduced a new system called SAP which was new to everybody so most of the process was not correctly done on SAP.
It was very interesting to listen to the managers’ frustrations. I was in charge of correcting the process on SAP, to make sure that all outstanding payments were paid. That helped me to improve my knowledge on SAP.

Tell us why you enjoy doing the work that you do.

I love working with SAP.
I enjoy liaising with people which is part of my work.
I have a passion for procurement and it is part of my work. That is why I enjoy my work!


Related post:
Interview with the Manager of the Media Libraries: Ilse Assmann


Questions and blog post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.

Questions and answers on Ask Archivists Day

@SABCRadioArc on #AskArchivists Day

The Ask Archivists Day on 9 June 2011 on Twitter, marked by the hashtag #AskArchivists sparked some interesting questions and conversation. The SABC Media Libraries took part through the SABC Radio Archives account @SABCRadioArc, as well as SABC Media Libraries account @SABCMediaLib on Twitter:

We answered some specific questions addressed to us, as well taking part in the general discussion on the day.

Question(Q): @denaaktepriest Fourie Rossouw:
@karentoittoit How can I get hold of PW Botha's Rubicon Speech? (received on 6 June)
Answer (A): karentoittoit Karen du Toit:
@denaaktepriest PW Botha's 80min Rubicon speech of 1985 in the #archives. Contact SABC program sales 0117146886 @SABCRadioArc #AskArchivists

9 June 2011: Ask Archivists Day:

Q: the_archive Harriet Deacon:
So in SAfrican archives you have limited resources and a big cataloguing backlog - do we have comparatively few clients too? #AskArchivists
A: @SABCRadioArc SABC Radio Archive:
@the_archive Yes, in SAfrican archives we have limited resources and big cataloguing backlogs with comparatively few clients #AskArchivists

Q: @Visarkivet Svenskt visarkiv:
We're a music archive and we're curious: Which of all archives participating in #AskArchivists Day have music in their collections?
A: @SABCRadioArc SABC Radio Archive:
@Visarkivet @SABCMusicLib & @SABCRecordLib as departm of @SABCMediaLib has music in their collections

Q: BlogjeBabs Barbara Nijhoff:
#AskArchivists To all the archives on twitter today, what is the most valuable/precious/particular piece in your archive?
A:@SABCRadioArc SABC Radio Archive:
@BlogjeBabs One of most valuable recordings: 1890 voice recording: Florence Nightingale recalling battle of Balaclava #AskArchivists

Q: the_archive Harriet Deacon:
@wyorksarchives so the question is whether you can leapfrog some of the cataloguing work through digitization strategies #AskArchivists
A:@SABCRadioArc SABC Radio Archive:
@the_archive @wyorksarchives leapfrogs cataloguing through digitization - definitely! Busy mini-discs ingestion by interns’ #AskArchivists

Q: archives_masala Pauline Moirez:
#AskArchivists Hi twit archivists! Does your institution have a social media global strategy? What social media do you use?
A:@SABCRadioArc SABC Radio Archive:
@archives_masala our comp busy def social strategy. In meantime we have Facebook, Twit & blog for all depts in @SABCMediaLib #AskArchivists

Q:DaneAnne Anne-Grethe Jensen:
For all the #archivists out there: Why did you become an archivist? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCRadioArc SABC Radio Archive:
@DaneAnne #archivists -on why becoming archivist - started as librarian, but both value the preservation of our cult heritage #AskArchivists

Q: the_archive Harriet Deacon:
@StatensArkiver most digitization currently happening in SA archives I know is either by clients or by specific projects #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@the_archive @StatensArkiver currently have interns on a project to digitize our minidisks. #AskArchivists

Q:CaroleRiley Carole Riley:
As much as I'm enjoying #AskArchivists it appears to be more about the archives themselves than users of archives
A: @SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@CaroleRiley In SA users definitely don't realize the value of Archives yet #AskArchivists

Q: the_archive Harriet Deacon:
Archivists - what's the most frequent misunderstanding about your archive by visitors? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCRadioArc SABC Radio Archive:
@the_archive the most frequent misunderstanding - we catalogue everything, which is impossible! #AskArchivists

Q: SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@SABCRadioArc: Restoration or destruction in the audio archives?
@SABCRadioArc too much restoration is destruction of original. Focus should rather be on preservation, my opinion. #AskArchivists
A:@RichardWright Richard Wright:
@SABCMediaLib @SABCRadioArc #AskArchivists For audiovisual the need is 'digitization for preservation' - restoration not central issue

Q: archivesinfo Melissa Mannon:
haven't seen much 2 day about non-archivists helping archivists. What role can "citizen archivists" play 4 yr institution? #askarchivists
A:@SABCRadioArc SABC Radio Archive
@archivesinfo "citizen archivists" to donate radio broadcast material that was not kept, as has happened w Springbok Radio #AskArchivists

Q:jackharker Jack Harker:
@AskArchivists To all #archives - What are your main reasons for #digitization? Genealogy? Preservation? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@jackharker @AskArchivists - We digitize mainly for preservation and easier accessibility, but also due to lack of physical storing space.

Q:jamesdoeser James Doeser:
Should tweets be archived somehow? They may prove to be as useful as correspondence to future historians #askarchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@jamesdoeser Excellent idea! Would also help with accessibility of collection-content on web! #AskArchivists

Q:AskArchivists Ask Archivists:
RT @jackharker: To all #archives - What are your main reasons for #digitization? #Genealogy? Preservation? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@AskArchivists @jackharker Accessibility!

Q:ClaudeSuper Claude Super:
RT @CultureThemes: #AskArchivists how do you decide what goes into a collection? Also, how important is storage in the decision?
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@ClaudeSuper @CultureThemes Participants, production cost, availability elsewhere, request frequency - some deciding factors #AskArchivists

Q:NLWales Nat Library Wales:
How do institutions catalogue bilingual or multilingual archives? #askarchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@NLWales @SABCMediaLib We use English as cataloguing language, and indicate in metadata which language the content is #AskArchivists

Q:the_archive Harriet Deacon:
@wyorksarchives my impression and @SABCRadioArc can comment on this is that many SA archives have a huge cataloguing backlog #AskArchivists
A: @SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@the_archive @wyorksarchives @SABCRadioArc @SABCMediaLib We have a backlog problem in all of our collection due to manpower, yes! Frustrating

Q:simonrae Simon Rae:
#askarchivists - What is the biggest hindrance to your successful archiving - financial, technological or political?
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@simonrae definitely financial, but technology also plays a part, due to lack of finances. #AskArchivists

Q:the_archive Harriet Deacon:
@SABCMediaLib Do you think the national archives will have a smaller client base than you? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@the_archive I am not sure. We have different collections and different clients, though. #AskArchivists
Q:the_archive Harriet Deacon:
@SABCMediaLib interesting issue to explore - maybe the genealogy and historian user base in Africa is small but media is big? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@the_archive Also, we work with very old and recent material. I think ppl in Africa must still realize value of archives. #AskArchivists
Q:the_archive Harriet Deacon:
@SABCMediaLib yes I think you have a great catalogue and some rare materials #AskArchivists
A:
@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library
@the_archive What does your collection entail? #AskArchivists
Q:the_archive Harriet Deacon
@SABCMediaLib e.g. on family histories, state of archives in SA, links btw museums and archives http://bit.ly/eRn6N #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library
@the_archive Interesting! You are welcome to come and visit some day!

Q:MyHeritageNL MyHeritage NL:
Hi #AskArchivists, what would be your most interesting find until now?
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@MyHeritageNL A recording of Forces Favourites, a tribute program to soldiers in WWII #AskArchivists

Q:SLSarkiv sv.litt.sällskapet:
#AskArchivists Do you work a lot with schools and schoolchildren? For us in Finland this is a quite new target group: D
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@SLSarkiv We provide schools with audio of prescribed dramas and books. #AskArchivists

Q:historieonline historie-online:
For all archivists: What is YOUR favourite document in your collections, and why? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@historieonline Everything #Springbok-Radio #AskArchivists

Q:the_archive Harriet Deacon:
Archivists - what's the most frequent misunderstanding about your archive by visitors? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@the_archive That we can provide a day's audio material in two minutes #AskArchivists

Q:SLSarkiv sv.litt.sällskapet:
@GSA_EUB How is the economical crisis show in your archive or does it show at all? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library
@SLSarkiv @GSA_EUB It is hindering the digitization process #AskArchivists
Q:SLSarkiv sv.litt.sällskapet
@SABCMediaLib I can imagine. Is the digitization done by permanent staff or is it outsourced? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library
@SLSarkiv We have interns helping at the mo, but for the rest it is just the permanent staff. Slow process! #AskArchivists
Q:SLSarkiv sv.litt.sällskapet:
@SABCMediaLib The main difficulty is to get funds for digitization. We received some gov. funds for that last year #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@SLSarkiv Do you outsource? We also have a funding problem! #AskArchivists

Q:ExploringLeeds Alex:
@wyorksarchives How many queries/visits do you reckon you get a year? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@ExploringLeeds @wyorksarchives Roughly 800 #AskArchivists

Q:simonrae Simon Rae:
#AskArchivists - Archivists, do you ever get sad at the amount of stuff there is still to archive - so much stuff, so little time :-(
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@simonrae And because it is not archived yet we don't know exactly what we have. #AskArchivists

Q:the_archive Harriet Deacon:
Are there good examples of public participation in the design of strategies to increase public archives access? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@the_archive http://www.springbokradio.com/ #AskArchivists

Q:SLSarkiv sv.litt.sällskapet:
Do any of you have any Finnish material in your collections? #AskArchivists
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@SLSarkiv '39 FINNISH MIN SPEAKS IN LONDON ABT RUSSIAN ATTACK ON FINLAND, 3 WKS AFTER FINNS HAD JOINED IN THE WAR). #AskArchivists

Q:townsweb TownsWeb Archiving:
#AskArchivists How do you decide priority for #digitization? Do you consider popularity, condition, accessibility or budget? What else?
A:@SABCMediaLib SABC Media Library:
@townsweb Speed of deterioration #AskArchivists

Related posts:
Ask Archivists Day this week on Twitter
Ask Archivists Day short report back #AskArchivists
http://sabcmedialib.blogspot.com/2011/06/sabc-media-lib-askarchivists-day.html

Blog post compiled by Karen du Toit (@karentoittoit), Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives

Interview with an intern at the SABC Information Library: Agrineth Mashile

Agrineth Mashile
Intern: SABC Information Library

The SABC Information Library has acquired the services of two interns since March of this year.
The interns are here for a couple of months to acquire valuable skills, but also to help with the workflows in the SABC Information Library.

Agrineth Mashile is a qualified Librarian.

Questions addressed to the intern to understand the type of skills that they have to offer, but also get a better understanding of what they are doing now here in the SABC Information Library.

Agrineth, please tell us about your personal history as well as your studies. How did you become an intern here at the SABC?

My name is Agrineth Mashile. I was born and grew up in a small village in Limpopo province and started school at Moomane primary and continued to Ngale secondary till 2006. I went to the University of Limpopo (Turfloop campus) from 2007 till 2010 to study Information Studies and Communication studies. It was a four years degree.  Last year when I was busy with my research I got the internship advertisement from my lecturer and I applied immediately. I got a call from Thembi asking me to come to the interview. In January I got another call telling me that I went through and qualified for the internship.

What does your job entail here at the SABC?

Here at the Media Library (Information Library) we are two interns which means we have to rotate. I started by scanning SABC radio bulletins and special collections. I have to index them as well. After a month I started scanning daily newspapers. Now I work with books: circulation, accessioning, cataloguing and classification, shelving and assisting clients with the Internet and relocation of books. Next month I will be working with magazines.

What have you learned already while you have been here?

I’ve gained a lot of experience more especially with indexing. Surely I can take a post that needs an indexer. I have also acquired knowledge on how to handle people with different attitudes and expectations, while maintaining my professionalism.

What suggestions do you have for us with regards the collection of the Information Library?

I think the students from Sound Engineering should have some kind of library orientation because they are leaving the library in disarray everyday; misplacing and hiding of books. 
There must be some kind of security alarm installed when somebody goes out of the library with stolen books.

What are you planning to do after this?

 I enjoyed working here! It will be a privilege if maybe I can have a permanent job here, apart from the wish to work for big institutions like the National library of South Africa. I want to further my studies and do systems management or knowledge management.

Related post:
Interview with an intern at the SABC Information Library: Veronica Machate


Questions and blog post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.

SABC Media Lib @ AskArchivists Day

SABC Radio Archives TweetStats: (Check the link for more)

The Sabc Media Libraries 
@SABCMediaLib 
had a great day yesterday following archives from all over the world. We also took part in some very interesting discussions, and made some new friends, together with the the
SABC Radio Archives
@SABCRadioArc

Here are some stats, that are copied from TweetStats, as is suggested by 
Ask Archivists.

We suspect that the stats will continue to continue to multiply as the day/month progresses, and that this day will have a accumulative effect on connecting with archives worldwide, as well as the discussion on pertinent focus points in archives. The SABC Radio Archives Klout score also increased by +2 within a single day. 




We have also connected with some of our users, and we have created some awareness of our social activity on Twitter as well as on Facebook.

A more detailed report will follow at the end of the month.

Related posts:
Ask Archivists Day this week on Twitter
Ask Archivists Day short report back #AskArchivists

Post by Retha Buys: Custodian of the Springbok Radio collection, and request archivist in the SABC Radio Archives

Ask Archivists Day short report back #AskArchivists

@SABCRadioArc HashCloud

The Sabc Radio Archives @SABCRadioArc had a great day yesterday following archives from all over the world. We took part in some of the conversation, also by way of the SABC Media Libraries @SABCMediaLib profile.

Here are some stats, that are copied from TweetStats, as is suggested by Ask Archivists.

SABC Radio Archives TweetStats: (Check the link for more)

Timeline - see the spike because of #AskArchivists Day

The conversation @SABCRadioArc

We suspect that the stats will continue to continue to multiply as the day/month progresses, and that this day will have a accumulative effect on connecting with archives worldwide, as well as the discussion on pertinent focus points in archives. The SABC Radio Archives Klout score also increased by +2 within a single day.

We have also connected with some of our users, and we have created some awareness of our social activity on Twitter as well as on Facebook.

I will give a more detailed report at the end of the month.

Related post:
Ask Archivists Day this week on Twitter


Karen du Toit
Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives

Interview with an intern at the SABC Information Library: Veronica Machate

Veronica Machate
Intern: SABC Information Library

The SABC Information Library has acquired the services of two interns since March of this year.
The interns are here in the SABC Media Libraries for a couple of months to acquire valuable skills, but also to help with the workflows in the SABC Information Library.

Veronica Machate is a qualified Librarian.

Questions are asked to understand the type of skills that they have to offer, but also to get a better understanding of what they are doing here in the SABC Information Library.


Please tell us about your personal history as well as your studies. How did you become an intern here at SABC?

I was born and raised in Bushbuckridge in a place called Acornhoek. I started school in 1994 and matriculated 2006. I went to the university of Limpopo Turfloop campus in 2007 where I studied for a bachelor degree in information studies which I obtained in 2010 and I will be graduating on the 14th of this month. During my final year of my study I worked as a part-time student assistant in our university library and also worked as a computer laboratory assistant. I heard about this internship from our lecturer. I applied and fortunately I was called for an interview. In January I was called and told that I was appointed.

What does your job entail here at SABC?

My job differs according to the sections in the Information Library. They have a newspaper, magazine and book section. After every three months I have to rotate. During my first three months I have worked in the newspaper cutting section where my job entailed the scanning of daily newspapers, using a flatbed scanner, indexing SABC articles and also responding to requests. From May until July I will be working in the magazine section and in this section my job entails indexing and cataloguing magazines articles. Thereafter I will be rotating to the book section.

What have you learned already while you have been there?

I have mastered responding to requests, scanning of daily newspapers and more especially indexing of SABC and magazine articles.

Tell us of any interesting anecdotes story with regards to your internship

During my first month I was always hanging my access card on my neck even on the street where I live so that people could see that I’m working at the SABC.

What are you planning to do after this?

My plan is to get a job as librarian either in the SABC or any other sector and to further my studies in the field of Information Studies.


Related posts:

SABC Radio Archives: Interview with an intern - Thakhani Ramufhufhi
Interview with an intern at the SABC Radio Archives: Obakeng Phiri
Interview with an intern at the SABC Radio Archives: Nokuthula Mzelemu
Intern in the SABC Radio Archives: Mbali Jezile - an interview

Questions and blog post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.

Interview with the Manager of the Media Libraries: Ilse Assmann

Ilse Assmann
Manager: SABC Media Libraries

The Media Libraries is a SABC information hub. It was formed in 1996 by bringing together the relevant units to provide content and information to Radio and TV, both audio and print. The Media Libraries currently comprises the SABC Radio Archives, the SABC Music Library, the SABC Record Library, the SABC Information Library, and the SABC Sound Restoration Unit. Ilse Assmann has been the Manager since 2006.

Ilse, with the assistance of Media Library colleagues, led and guided the implementation of the Information Management Project, which included the roll-out of the approved File Plan under the custodianship of the Company Secretariat. She is currently leading the proposed merger of all SABC archives and libraries to form an integrated Information Management & Archives unit as part of the SABC Turnaround Strategy.

Please give us a short overview of your life and career. (Where you grew up, where and what you studied and your work experience before you became the Manager of the SABC Media Libraries)

I was born in Pretoria but never lived there. We were always on the move because of the nature of my father’s work and we lived in Rustenburg when I wrote matric. I then went to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth to study music and did extremely well in socialising, but not so well in my music studies. However, I completed a music qualification, and went on to teach music in Franshhoek, Western Cape. After a year I decided to move closer to home and accepted a teaching post in Middelburg, Mpumalanga. The SABC approached me in 1985 for a position in the Radio Archives. At the time I had to look up the word "archive" in the dictionary to see what it was I was letting myself in for. For some reason I was given the job and fell head over heels in love with it. 

I went on to obtain a BA and BA Hons degree at the University of Johannesburg. The SABC gave me the opportunity to do a management course at UNISA in the mid 1990’s and soon after UNISA enabled audiovisual archivists to enrol for their Advanced Archive Course, which a few of us did. Currently I am busy with an M.Com in Knowledge and Information Management at the University of Johannesburg.

My work at the SABC has been varied over the years in spite of the perception that archivists work in isolation. I became very involved with archive organisations and activities, and tried to ensure that the SABC Media Libraries and audiovisual archives in general receive the recognition they deserve. I think there has been an improvement since our "early" days in the 1980’s, and that the role of audiovisual archives is gaining more recognition. Audiovisual Archives play a crucial role in the preservation of the world’s collective memory.

Please tell us about a normal day in your office.

A usual day is packed with meetings, responding to emails, writing reports, attending to admin and too many cups of coffee.

I meet regularly with my team to discuss work and plan how to improve our services and ensure our collections are properly preserved and used. It is common for businesses to spend money on staff, storage and equipment, without being sufficiently aware of their archives and how they can be best utilised. We have over the last few years embarked on a few initiatives to "market" ourselves better in the SABC. Your social media initiative is a good example of this and is very exciting.

As you mentioned in the introduction, the Media Libraries is the umbrella over the Information Library, which includes a books, magazine and newspaper cuttings collection. The newspaper cuttings collection dates back to 1927 and is a great source for researchers; the Record Library, which really is a music library with its huge collections of vinyl (LPs) and CD recordings; the Radio Archives with its long history of audio going back to the first broadcast by General Jan Smuts in 1927, but also including copies of the first South African recordings in 1906; A Sound Restoration Unit, which does the re-mastering and restoration of the SABC Transcription collection; and the Music Library, which includes not only beautiful instruments such as valuable piano’s and harps, but also safeguards music scores, some still in the handwriting of the composer. In addition to these collections, we also oversee the functions of the Regional Media Libraries. There are currently 9 regional or provincial Media Libraries, catering primarily for the needs of the Radio Stations in those regions.

Digitisation is a very exciting future prospect and we are eager to get on board. We have made a start by putting the Information Library catalogues on the SABC Intranet – eventually we would like all our catalogues to be available on the Intranet first and later the Internet. We also started to experiment with workflows to see what the result and effect of changed workflows will have and so far it looks very promising. Our biggest challenge, apart from changing workflows, will be to digitise our legacy collections, but I am sure that once we have tasted the first successes of internal digital access countrywide, as well as the online receipt and cataloguing of our collections, everybody will be on board and excited.

Please tell us about the implementation of the Information Management Project.

The Information Management Project was very challenging as we had to implement for all practical purposes, Records Management, in the SABC.  It involved drafting a corporate File Plan, getting approval from the National Archive, and getting buy-in from the SABC management and staff. It also introduced us to formal project management, which was a learning curve for me and my team. I was very fortunate to have had a great team and support from our CFO, who was also the Executive Sponsor. Part of rolling out the project, was to build a storage area, the Written Archive, for the SABC’s paper records. We are currently working to systematically capture all our older paper records on an indexing system we acquired for this purpose. The next step will be to obtain a suitable Electronic Records Management System. This is being investigated at the moment.

We are currently working on a very exciting project which is a proposed integrated Information Management and Archive (IM&A). It is part of the SABC’s Turnaround Strategy and we hope that the Board will approve our proposal. The IM&A will, for the first time, consolidate all the archive and library services in the SABC, both Radio and TV, inclusive of print, audio and video, and will integrate workflows in preparation for the Digitisation Project. This is an extremely challenging but exciting project. The integrated workflows will mean that radio archivists will need to learn about video archiving and TV archivists will have to learn more about sound. Naturally we have resistance from people who have been doing the same job for a long time and who have been reporting to the same division over many years. We have to very carefully plan how to overcome the resistance and at the same time ensure that the integration will be successful.

Do you have any issues with regard to technical difficulties and the scope of the collections?

As with all audiovisual archives, we experience challenges with regard to obsolete equipment, deteriorating sound carriers, new digital equipment and carriers and recommendations from suppliers that do not necessarily meet the archive requirements. As we are members of IASA (International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives, www.iasa-web.org) we are up to date with standards and trends in the archive world regarding technical and other archival matters. IASA has become known for establishing standards in the industry and is widely respected as such by e.g. the EU and UNESCO. 

Tell us more about the collections that your department oversees, and future plans with regard to digitization.

Our collections are huge and we simply do not have the necessary staff to deal with the full extent of our collections. In the regions, we have an even bigger problem with only one archivist assigned to a Radio Stations’ collection.  But the Media Library has a very willing and enthusiastic team that tackles challenges head-on and together we are looking to find solutions. Experimenting with workflows in the Radio Archives and the Information Library is one way to see how we can overcome some of the bottlenecks. We hope, and know it will take more than “hope”, that the digital workflows will assist our work in a positive way so that the work becomes more manageable.

Do you have an interesting anecdote about the collections during your years here at the SABC?

There were so many! Dealing with collectors and trying to make sure that our catalogues are extensive always lead to interesting stories. This also led to many great mentors who guided me along the way, for which I am very grateful.  How to answer your question adequately in this space? I think I’ll rather invite you for coffee!

Tell us why you enjoy doing the work that you do.

I guess I have always liked history, and I like the fact that broadcast archives are much more immediate than our paper archive equivalent.  I am also curious by nature. But it was the technology and the access to information that grabbed my attention when I started in the Radio Archives. I worked with the contemporary music collection and had to catalogue music genres about which I knew nothing at the time. This led to extensive listening through our catalogues and various research projects, which in turn led to field work (oral history interviews and recordings). These days it is still the technology, but the added challenge of making ourselves more accessible that gets me up in the morning. It is very, very satisfactory when we get a nod of approval from our clients or when a new client discover us and is excited about what we have to offer.

My years in management have made me to appreciate the teams I work with, and I find it very rewarding when I see how initiatives such as your social media project gets off the ground. We have a few projects in the Media Library, all driven by people like you and all exciting and successful. Looking back and seeing the progress actually made is equally pleasing.

Working with information the way we do, the technology, the challenges, the people - what is there not to like about my job?


Related posts:
Interview with the Principal Librarian at the SABC Information Library
The weekly archivist interview with the Manager of the SABC Radio Archives

Questions and blog post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives

Ask Archivists Day this week on Thursday

Poster for #AskArchivists

Ask Archivists Day is finally here this week on 9 June! The SABC Radio Archives (@SABCRadioArc) are planning to go big this year!

The Ask Archivists Day is the initiative on Twitter which is located by the hash-tag AND AskArchivists #AskArchivists.

 It is managed by Charlotte Jensen of the National Museum (National Museet) in Copenhagen (Denmark) & Anneke van Waarden-Koets of the Zealand Archive (Zeeuws Archief) in Middelburg (the Netherlands). We are very grateful that they came up with the initiative!

On June 9th 2011 archives worldwide will connect and will answer any question addressed to them on Twitter. There are over 100 archives participating (and growing) which have listed themselves on the open Google doc.See the participating archives listed.

We have a few goals for the day, which will be a working document as we go along:

• The SABC Radio Archives @SABCRadioArc will take part by tweeting about the event.
• Tweet about our participation on the day and the type of questions that we will answer. (Ask input from the whole of the SABC Media Libraries)
• The SABC Media Libraries (@SABCMediaLib) as the bigger department, which includes the SABC Record Library (@SABCRecordLib), the SABC Information Library (@SABCInfoLib), the SABC Music Library (@SABCMusicLib) and the SABC Audio Restoration (@SABCAudioRest) will also take part.
• We will try to follow as much archives as possible for the day.
• We are also using this initiative to invite personnel to familiarize them with Twitter.
• Personnel are invited to use our Facebook fan pages as status updates for the day. It automatically feeds to the respective Twitter accounts. (Especially those who do not have Twitter accounts)
• We have a short training session before the time about the use of hash tags # and mentions @.

Do you have any questions for us?

Related post:
Ask Archivist Day on June 9th 2011 on Twitter

The Weekly Archivist interview: Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives: Karen du Toit

Karen du Toit
SABC Radio Archives

The SABC Radio Archives has Archivists who focus on specific collections for future preservation for our cultural heritage, rebroadcasting and research. This is part of a series of weekly interviews where we will all answer the same questions addressed to us.

It is a way of getting a better understanding of what an Archivist do, as well as gets a better insight into the scope of our collections in the SABC Media Libraries.

The Archivist answering the questions this week is Karen du Toit. She is a member of the cataloguing Team in the SABC Radio Archives. She focuses on the Afrikaans collection, which mostly comprises of the Afrikaans radio stations of the South African Broadcasting Corporation. She has been with the Radio Archives for 6 years.

This week I am answering my own questions, as were addressed to all of the other archivists.
My Life and career.

Education:
I grew up in Kempton Park where I went to school.
I acquired a Library and Information Science degree in 1988 at the Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit, now called the University of Johannesburg (UJ). In 2001 I completed a BA Afrikaans Honors at UJ, and in 2005 I completed a BA Information Science Honors, also at UJ.
Career:
I started to work as a librarian in 1989 at the Transvaal Provincial Administration in the Library and Museum Services, where I helped indexed and catalogued the books being sent to all the provincial libraries.
After that, in 1990, I started to work as an Archivist at the SABC in the SABC News Archives. We worked in shifts and edited catalogued and classified audio-visual material of broadcast news. We also had to do requests for journalists and producers.
In 1998 I started to work as a Reference Librarian in the Newspaper Cutting section of the SABC Information Library. It involved the Digital selection and cataloguing of newspaper articles to make it electronically available to the journalists and producers.
In 2005 I got the job of the Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives. It combined my love for the Afrikaans language and literature beautifully with my passion for information mining. As an archivist I have to make sure that the broadcasted material of today will still be available as a cultural heritage for the generations to follow!
Personal Life:
I got remarried again seven years ago, and now I have a toddler of two and a half, as well as a teen of nearly eighteen.  We stay in Roodepoort. We enjoy the reconstructed family life tremendously now with the little one!

Please tell us about a normal day in your studio. What material do you work with?

Each archivist is a specialist on his own field of focus, because we are only one Archivist which focuses on a language or radio Station. In my case it is Radio Sonder Grense. My days do not look the same. I have to verify the existing collection. I have to catalogue and add new material to our collection. I also need to catalogue different formats, such as min-discs and reel-to-reel tapes, and have to convert it digitally to CD or to Dalet, a Digital Audio System. I have to help with requests if the relevant request team member is not available or when there are a crisis.
I also help with our Web 2.0 presence of the SABC Media Libraries. We have Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as a SABC Media Libraries website and a blog that needs constant updates and content.

Tell us more about the collection you focus on and the scope of material you need to preserve.

My collection consists of Afrikaans audio and broadcast material going back as far as 100 years.
The collection consists of material from Die Afrikaanse Diens, Radio Suid-Afrika  and Afrikaans Stereo of previous years. Since 1996 it called Radio Sonder Grense. We also have audio recordings done in the studio, as well as recordings in the field, such as Afrikaans festivals and interviews.
I still get a kick out of listening to poets reading their own poetry that was recorded long ago. They have of course died long ago as well, but they left us with this valuable legacy!

Do you struggle with technical difficulties, and if so, what?

As audio archivists, we always have an issue with the correct recording and transfer rates, as well as getting the most perfect storage bit rates. There is also the issue of restoration vs destruction of our audio collections. How far do we need to restore our collection, before we actually start to damage it more? New software comes on the market, but we do not always get access to it because of budgetary constraints.
I am also looking forward to the Digital Library project which will digitize our collections. It wiull solve many of our issues with the different formats and it becoming obsolete.

If you have an anecdote about a specific piece of interesting audio material, please share it with us.

I hear interesting audio material every day. This week I catalogued the 2002 interview with Isidor Davis, a former archivist here at the SABC, who tells of how the SABC recorded messages from South African soldiers during World War Two. They did the recordings on acetate records. When the shelling and fighting got very bad, the needle jumped too much, and they could not record. We still have that recordings in our archives, and the BBC were also very interested in acquiring it.

Tell us why you enjoy doing the work that you do.

I love working with historical material that I know is of great heritage value. I also love hearing stories and interviews with inspirational people. I learn new things every day.
How many people also can say that they get to listen to radio dramas and poetry as part of their job? That is the best!


Related posts:
The Weekly Archivist Interview with the Manager of the SABC Radio Archives
The Weekly Archivist Interview: acetate restoration in the SABC Radio Archives
The weekly archivist interview: Sound engineer in the Radio Archives
The weekly archivist interview: Ikwekwezi FM
The weekly archivist interview: Music archivist
The weekly archivist interview: News and actuality
The weekly archivist interview: Sport archivist
The weekly archivist interview: Channel Africa collection