Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the possible benefits if libraries, archives and museums
(LAMs) in South Africa were to collaborate on digitisation efforts in terms of sharing skills and training.
The following research question was formulated: What are the possible benefits for South African
LAMs should they collaborate in terms of sharing skills and training, for digitisation purposes? The
study thus addressed the collaboration between LAMs for digitisation purposes, in the context of the
South African LAM landscape.
A mono-method qualitative study was undertaken to investigate the main objective, that is, if
collaboration could help LAMs deal with the challenges they face, in terms of skills, when digitising
their collections. The objectives were addressed by a literature review and by conducting nonstandardised,
semi-structured interviews with 21 interviewees at different LAMs. It was concluded
that collaboration could indeed appreciably alleviate problems related to digitisation, the most
prominent being the lack of skilled digitisation employees. It was found that many of the institutions
employed low-level skilled workers or workers who were learning on the job.
In determining the relevance of the research, it was important to find out whether or not LAMs in
South Africa were open to collaboration and responses to this question were positive. It can thus be
concluded that the results of this study can be used to motivate and push for collaborative
partnerships for the purpose of digitisation between South African LAMs.