UCT

University of Cape Town Libraries: Special Collections (Manuscripts and Archives)

• UCT Libraries: Special Collections
• Manuscripts and Archives

• University
• Educational

Western Cape, South Africa

Special Collections is one of several libraries that comprise UCT Libraries. It houses a significant collection of African studies materials, a rare books collection, a visual archive (film and photography), and a substantial number of primary source collections (manuscript/archives). AtoM@UCT is as the archival management and access tool for the primary source collections housed in Special Collections.

The JW Jagger Reading Room is situated on University Avenue, Upper Campus. See https://www.uct.ac.za/contact/campus/#google

Special Collections boasts some 1500 discrete archival collections, consisting of original research material relating to the political, social, cultural and economic history of Southern Africa, with a strong focus on the Western Cape. Collections deal with a wide range of subjects, including art, music, education, literature and language, botany, politics and architecture, and include records in all media. Collections include the personal papers of prominent people, or whose papers constitute an important record of Southern African social history; the papers of communities not strongly represented in archives; corporate papers from non-governmental organisations, companies or institutions; the personal and research papers of UCT academics; nonadministrative records relating to the history of UCT; architectural collections of leading South African architects; papers and record books of ethnic and religious communities and papers of individuals prominent in such communities; manuscript music scores and personal papers of South African composers; papers relating to labour and trade, and the records of labour unions; the oral history of South Africa; papers and other materials associated with important social, historical, or cultural issues or movements.

Guides:
Guides are high level summaries of the holdings in Special Collections. To access a guide, enter the prefix in the AtoM@UCT search box:

MG - Guide to the Manuscripts in the University Of Cape Town Libraries

Prefixed codes for collections by type:
BC - used as a prefix to a fonds deriving from an individual or an organisation, e.g., BC1329 The Colin Legum Papers; BC1421 The Mountain Club of South Africa archive
BCS - used as a prefix to a fonds that consists of a single item or a very small number of items. All our BCS fonds are described together at http://atom.lib.uct.ac.za/index.php/za-uct-bc-s (or enter BC_S in the search box)
BP - The Manuscripts & Archives Photograph Collection. This is an on-going project. See http://atom.lib.uct.ac.za/index.php/manuscripts-and-archives-photograph-collection
BCZ - microform collections. See http://atom.lib.uct.ac.za/index.php/microfilm-collection
BUZV - thematically arranged collection of primarily photographs and clippings pertaining to the history of UCT. See http://atom.lib.uct.ac.za/index.php/za-uct-buzv

Weekdays: 08h30 to 17h30 (17h00 during vacation times)
Saturdays: 09h00 to 13h00 (12h30 during vacation times)

Users with disabilities are advised to use the entrance to the Reading Room on Library Road. There is no elevator from the entrance on University Avenue.

Digital materials provided on this platform are for research purposes only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from Special Collections.

• African studies (Thematic area)
• South African history (Thematic area)
• University of Cape Town history and development (Thematic area)
• Arts and Culture (Thematic area)
• Education (Thematic area)
• Labour (Thematic area)
• Law and Justice (Thematic area)
• Medicine and Health (Thematic area)
• Politics and Government (Thematic area)
• Genealogical (Thematic area)
• Africa (Geographic subregion)