IASA 2017 Annual Conference

The twenty first century has ushered in the age of ubitiquos technologies which enable archives to manage sound and audio–archives in an integrated way. However the digital divide makes it critical for archives in developing countries to come up with innovative ways to transform the digital divide into a digital dividend in the management of sound audio-archives. This treatise will explore the extent to which the national archives of Zimbabwe is utilising technology to ensure the integrated and innovative management of sound and audio archives. The paper will examine the commercial and free open access software packages that are being used in the management of sound and audio archives in Zimbabwe. It will explore how the national archives can realise economies of scale through utilising integrated technologies. The writers will explore how national broadcasters s and many other private players whose services are limited to creating and commercial broadcasting rather than access for purposes of research and preservation for posterity can benefit from the integrated management of sound and audio visual archives. The paper will examine how the national archives of Zimbabwe can benefit from digital technologies through adapting to integrated and innovative systems in the management of sound and audio archives. The paper will examine how the use of integrated technologies can spur creative and innovation in the way sound and audio-visual archives are managed at the National Archives of Zimbabwe. The paper will use an ecosystem approach to understudy how sound and audio archives can be managed in an integrated and innovative way in Zimbabwe.