Digital Preservation Practices in South Africa: Review of Existing Policy, Legislation, Guidelines and Standards

Abstract

This article describes a review of policies, legislation and guidelines for the preservation of digital material in South Africa, which was undertaken as part of UNESCO's wider study of digital preservation in three African countries. The review found that although much remains to be done, some important building blocks for a national digital preservation policy do exist in South Africa. The major players are identified, such as the National Library of South Africa, the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa, and the South African universities and research institutes. There is a pressing need for these bodies to work together in a coordinated way, and it has been proposed that the Digital Imaging South Africa (DISA) project should take on this coordinating role.