SABC Media Libraries (Radio Archives)

Established in 1936, South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Media Library is an archive which contain information for audio and printed material relating to broadcasting.

It has collections available for research, re-use, or re-purposing and is available to both public and production houses subject to copyright clearances. The library consists of the Information Library, the Radio Archives, the Music Library, the Record Library and the Audio Restoration Section.

The Radio Archives collects and receives material from all the SABC Public Broadcast Services. Only selected material is catalogued and stored in various archive repositories across the country. A small percentage of the collection is donated by former SABC staff and the public. The collection is available in various formats some of which includes 78 rmp disks, old broadcast tapes, minidisks, and CDs. The music collection includes both classical and contemporary music focusing predominantly on South African music and musicians.

The Radio Archives initiated an oral history project that focuses on supplementing the archive catalogue by including interviews with composers and musicians. In addition, it has established a collection of natural and habitat sounds of Southern Africa.