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Directory of South African Music Collections: Home

Directory of music collections. Contains information about private collections and collections at South African institutions.

South African Music Departments and Libraries

This box contains links to South African music departments and academic music libraries in general. For music archival materials and special collections, please use the tabs above.

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Updating information

Keeping this directory updated and relevant is an enormous task; therefore, cooperation from institutions is highly valued for the success of this project by notifying DOMUS of the following:

  • Changes in staff, contact details and URLs
  • New acquisitions
  • Changes in the status (sorting and cataloguing) of existing collections
  • Addition of repositories and private collections not represented in this directory
  • Any inaccuracies in the directory

For consistency in the directory, specific terms pertaining to collection content, are used. For these terms, please see Scope and Content under the 'Home' tab.

For further information and contributions, please contact Santie de Jongh.

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Background

A lack of funding, staff shortages, and time constraints in the archives, libraries and document centres environment are all factors that inhibit research. This directory addresses these issues by collating information on special music collections in South Africa in order to stimulate music research on South African materials in South Africa and internationally. In an effort to cover the widest possible spectrum in music research, the directory provides the location and status of documents and collections.

This directory was initially part of a Masters study, funded by the South African Music Archive Project (SAMAP) and created under the auspices of the Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service.

Although only a number of national, provincial and tertiary institutions are currently represented in the directory, the aim is to expand it by including further institutions in the aforementioned categories and private collections.

How to reference the Directory of South African Music Collections:

De Jongh, M.S. [Date]. Directory of South African Music Collections [Online]. Available: http://libguides.sun.ac.za/SAMusicCollections  [Year accessed, Month Day].

Navigation of Directory

The Directory of South African Music Collections is divided according to province. The various institutions are accessible via the drop-down menus for each province.

Each individual repository entry consists of:

  • Contact information (accompanied by a map and a list of institutions)
  • A list of holdings (alphabetically arranged)
  • Scope and content (types of items available)
  • Research projects
  • Summaries of the various collections (alphabetically arranged)
  • At the top of most institution pages, an A-Z links menu assists with navigation.

The collection summaries include the following information:

  • Call number
  • Type according to broader general categories (African music; Folk music; Liturgical music; Military music; Music education; Popular music; Western art music)
  • Extent (metre, pamphlet box, shelving space)
  • Level of description (sorted, unsorted)
  • Access (availability of finding aids)
  • Description language of finding aids
  • Scope and content
  • Acquisition (donation, purchase)
  • Notes

Navigate as follows:

  • Browsing via province and institution
  • Searching

 

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The Arch of Titus Menorah relief in Rome depicts the siege of Jerusalem, 70 AD. "Judaea Capta" - "Judaea is enslaved/conquered". The image displays objects taken from the Temple, which include the seven-branched Menorah, the table for the Shewbread and two trumpets.

Source: By derivative work: Steerpike, via Wikimedia Commons 

Arch of Titus Menorah