Name of the Candidate: Michelle de la Harpe

Title: Ms.  

Organisation: University of Pretoria

Country or territory: South Africa (ZA)

Region represented: Africa and the Arab Countries

Candidate Statement:   

“I sit on various committees at the University of Pretoria as the Museum Archivist, including the Documents Collections Committee, which oversees archival collections at the University of Pretoria. I am also part of the GLAM working group, which advocates for collaboration and research initiatives between museum collections, archives and the library. I am also the sole Information Custodian for the University of Pretoria Museums and oversee the information governance and programmes of the University Museums and Museum Archives. There are also various other interdisciplinary collaboration projects that I am actively part of that foster partnerships between the academic programmes and the University Museums and Archives. My professional viewpoint is unique as a museum archivist working in a university context. It provides me with valuable insight into the needs of archives, museums and academic programmes. I also have a special interest in the impact of new technologies on archives and enjoy being part of initiatives that approach the teaching and promotion of archives in innovative ways. “

Answer to the “How can you make the voice of ICA regions underrepresented in PCOM heard?” question  

“As an archivist working in a university museum context in South Africa, I place special consideration on the needs of archives in developing countries. With my Master’s degree in Heritage and Cultural Tourism, I understand better than most the specific cultural landscape that archives form a part of. I have a unique vantage point, as I am not only an archivist, but I also work with African museum collections and support academic programmes at a tertiary education institution. My academic career has provided me with a special viewpoint on cultural tourism institutions, with an emphasis on making archival collections not only accessible to the local communities, but the global research community as well.”

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