Interview with the Manager of the SABC Record Library

Thersia Francis
Manager: SABC Record Library

The interview this week is with Thersia Francis, the Manager of 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 all internal clients.

This interview 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. It is a way of generating a better understanding of what we do in the different sections that we belong to.


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 was born, raised and spend most of my life in Krugersdorp.
I’ve started my working career at the Johannesburg City Council at the Commercial Licensing Department were I worked for 5 years, and gained  very valuable working experience.
I applied for a post in the Record Library at the SABC and started in June 1980.  31 years later here I am still in the Record Library and love every minute (OK, 99% of the time). Things really changed a lot over the years…..
When I started there were 3 Record Libraries: Springbok Radio Library (or Commercial Library) Bantu/Black Record Library and the Central Record Library. When Springbok Radio closed down the 3 libraries merged and only one record library was formed.  I started working with classical music, then mood music and sound effects and then light or commercial music and gained knowledge of the different types of music, record companies and our users in the SABC. 

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

My main focus is to have happy, focus and competent staff and a well organized record library that’s looking after the music needs of the SABC.

Tell us more about your collection and the scope of material you need to preserve in the Record Library.

We do have a huge collection of CD’s and LP’s.  Our collection exists of classical music, mood music and sound effects and light music. We try do allocate music from all available sources, local and international.

Do you struggle with technical difficulties with regards your collections? Please elaborate.

On a daily basis we do not have any technical difficulties.  My dream for the library is to digitize and have our collections online.  We are currently busy with a digital project and hopefully this dream will come true.

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

 A great CD worth listening to is “Amore Infinito” by Placido Domingo with guest appearances by a few well known artists.  It is songs inspired by the poems of Pope John Paul II.

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

To work with music is fantastic!  The music industry has its own magic.  The interaction between the record library, radio stations and all the users in the SABC is very special.


Related posts:

Interview with the Systems Administrator in the SABC Record Library
Interview with a Record Librarian at the SABC record Library
Interview with an Assistant Record Librarian in the SABC Record Library
Interview with a Record Librarian at the SABC Record Library: Sound Effects and Mood Music


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