Archival and published print collections kept in the University of Cape Town's (UCT’s) Jagger Reading Room have been destroyed by the fire that swept over the campus on Sunday.

UCT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said the loss of the material was a sad day for the university and its libraries.

The content destroyed includes about 70 000 items in the African Studies Published Print Collection, the entire 3 500 items of the African Studies Film Collection on DVD, university calendars, government publications documents from around the continent and manuscripts and archives.

UCT Libraries said a significant institutional loss is the original card catalogues for the Manuscripts and Archives repositories, the history of UCT Libraries, and the Special Collections Archive Office and administrative records.

“This loss will be felt deeply across our community as the libraries are so critical to all of us. We cannot replace the treasures of scholarship we have lost, but we can create new treasures out of our own scholarship. In the same way, each of us can rebuild our own sense of purpose out of this tragedy.

“Our colleagues in the libraries have a long road ahead of them and many of us feel the devastation of the loss of this significant institutional asset but we will walk this road to rebuild our facilities together,” she said.

A full assessment of the damage caused by the fire will get underway once the building is declared safe.

Donors and owners of collections that were kept by UCT Libraries will be notified of the damaged pieces once a list is drawn up.

According to UCT, the fire destroyed the Jagger Reading Room’s galleries, adjacent stores and offices. The libraries team expects residual damage owing to flooding.

The university has acknowledged the efforts of the various UCT Properties and Services teams with the Libraries Facilities team, the city’s fire and rescue teams and the messages of support and assistance from local and international institutions.