UCT Libraries Special Collections Manuscripts & Archives (AtoM@UCT)

History and Founding

UCT Libraries Manuscripts and Archives is the primary source collection of the University of Cape Town (UCT) Libraries' Special Collections division in Cape Town, South Africa. UCT Libraries came into existence in 1905 when the printed resources of the then South African College were first assembled into an organized collection. The Manuscripts and Archives department developed over subsequent decades and grew to encompass over 1,600 discrete archival sub-collections before a major fire in April 2021. On April 18, 2021, a wildfire on Table Mountain destroyed the Jagger Reading Room, which housed Special Collections. While some collections were lost and others water-damaged, the majority of archival holdings—primarily held in basement storage—survived and are undergoing recovery, rehousing, and inventory reconciliation.

Collections and Holdings

Special Collections holds approximately 1,600 discrete archival sub-collections of original research material relating to the political, social, cultural, and economic history of Southern Africa, with a strong emphasis on the Western Cape. Collections span art, music, education, literature, language, botany, politics, and architecture in all media. Holdings include personal papers of prominent South Africans, records of non-governmental organizations and labor unions, architectural papers of leading South African architects, oral history recordings, photographs, film and video (the Audiovisual Archive includes approximately 20,000 items), and nearly complete runs of Cape newspapers such as the Cape Argus and Cape Times from the 19th century onward.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

The Cape Times Collection is one of the archive's significant journalism holdings, documenting the history of one of South Africa's oldest newspapers, including staff correspondence, press–South African Police relations during apartheid, newspaper clippings, and historical complete issues. The archive also holds community newspapers, press clippings, and photographic materials related to South African journalism history.

Access and Usage

Archival finding aids are accessible online through AtoM@UCT (atom.lib.uct.ac.za), an Access to Memory database, which does not require a login for browsing. Physical access to collections is available in the reading room at the JW Jagger Reading Room location on Upper Campus. The archive is in ongoing recovery following the 2021 fire.