Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1971 - 1992 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The SRC Resource Centre moved to new premises in late 1981 which were equipped with excellent reading, research and seminar facilities. The SRC decided to allocate R1000 to the Centre for the purchase of new books and other materials. It was also decided to provide further financial assistance support for the development of the Centre.
On the 14 May 1984 the SRC Resource Centre was completely destroyed in a fire which raged through the second floor of the Students' Union building.
Nothing remained of its vast collection of press clippings, magazines, books and posters, much of which was specific to student activity at Wits over the previous ten years. Arson was suspected and a police investigation later confirmed this
The Resource Centre began once again to collect material which dealt not only with Student affairs but also with material of a "consciousness raising" nature.
By 1990 every SRC on the affiliated NUSAS Campuses had developed a Resource Centre. The Wits Students' Resource Centre was forced to close down shortly after this period due to lack of funds
Archival history
The Students' Representative Council of the University of the Witwatersrand accumulated a large collection of material not readily available through more conventional avenues such as university libraries. This included student publications and material produced by anti-apartheid organisations
The collection was unsorted however and thus virtually useless. It was with the intention of making the material more readily accessible to the general student body, that Sammy Adelman, the then Wits SRC President approached Isle Wilson in late 1980 to take on the appointment of resource librarian. She was joined a year later by Joanne Yawitch. Various other people were to occupy the posts in the years that followed.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Incomplete records belonging to the National Union of South African Students (1933 -1992) form a large part of this collection.
The following abbreviations are used in the collection:
ANC - African National Congress.
FONS - Friends of NUSAS.
JODAC - Johannesburg Democratic Action Committee.
NUSAS - National Union of South African Students.
RAU - Rand Afrikaanse Universiteit.
RHODES - Rhodes University, Grahamstown.
SASPU - South African Students' Press Union.
SDS - Studente vir 'n demokratiese samelewing.
SRC - Students' Representative Council.
SASTS - South African Students' Travel Service.
UND - University of Natal, Durban.
UCT - University of Cape Town.
WITS - University of Witwatersand, Johannesburg.
In 1984 NUSAS, along with 600 other organisations affiliated to the United Democratic Front (UDF). NUSAS thus had a long history of political resistance.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright Historical Papers Research Archive, The Library, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Alternate title: University of the Witwatersrand
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Compiled by Claire Kruger and Gugile Nkwinti, 1984