Abstract
The South African nation consists of a diversity of cultural, religious and linguistic communities, such as the Portuguese immigrant community. Besides family and close friends, in order to ease their adaptation to their adoptive country and to maintain a sense of belonging, immigrant communities often establish community-based organisations. Community-based organisations fill specialist niches in providing cultural, historical, sporting, health and philanthropic support to members of the community. However, despite the significance of community records and their continuing memory value, cultural significance and their historical importance, there is limited understanding of the records management practices of community-based organisations, including those of the South African Portuguese community. The Portuguese community has established an array of community-based organisations in South Africa, since the early 20th century. These organisations include welfare associations; cultural, social, recreational and sports associations; women’s groups; youth groups; and coordinating bodies. Therefore, this paper examines the recordkeeping practices of these organisations with a view to recommending improvements for their effective and efficient management. The research is a qualitative study within the interpretivist paradigm. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The data is analysed and discussed thematically according to the specific objectives of the study.
Presenters
Antonio RodriguesAssociate Professor, Information Science, University of South Africa, Gauteng, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Community Diversity and Governance
KEYWORDS
Community-based Organisations, Community Records, Community Archives, Portuguese Community, South Africa
