Access to obsolete microfilm in National Archive revived by new scanner, courtesy of German Embassy
The seven running metres of microfilm in the National Archive that has lain obsolete since 2012 has been unlocked again for researchers with the acquisition of a brand new microfilm scanner.
At a brief ceremony where the scanner was demonstrated, Chief Archivist Beauty Matongo said “the National Archive preserves 7 linear metres of microfilm and one of its goals is to provide information and promote research. However, since 2012 these information resources had been inaccessible due to the lack of replay machines.”
A request was submitted to the German Embassy in Windhoek which responded by approving a N$248,000 donation to obtain a new scanner.
Explaining the embassy’s considerations, the Chargé d’Affaires, Ellen Gölz said “national archives guard the memories of a nation and are a valuable source of information for its citizens. We are glad to be able to support the National Archives of Namibia in their endeavour to make historical documents accessible to Namibians.”
The new scanner allows the archivists both to read and to digitize the cache of microfilm.
The scanner demonstration was attended by Kobus van der Merwe of Edusol, the company that supplied the scanner, Sarah Negumbo, the Director of Library and Archive Services, Werner Hillebrecht, the former Chief Archivist, Esther Moombolah-Gôagoses, the acting Deputy Executive Director of Life-Long-Learning, Arts & Culture, Ellen Gölz, the Chargé d’Affaires in the German Embassy and Namutenya Hamwaalwa, the Deputy Director of Library & Archive Services together with National Archive staff members.
