Venue: Hybrid
Dates: 26 - 27 August 2026
 
Theme: Archives and Records in Transition: Intelligent Technologies, Ethics and Smart Society
 
This conference explores the evolving landscape of records management in South Africa, where effective information governance remains fundamental to democratic accountability, legal compliance and institutional continuity. As societies become increasingly data-driven, records and archives continue to serve as critical instruments for transparency, access to information and the preservation of administrative and cultural memory.
 
The transition toward intelligent technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation, is reshaping traditional records management practices through enhanced classification, improved retrieval systems and data-driven decision-making. These advancements present significant opportunities to strengthen efficiency, accessibility, and service delivery within a smart society. However, this transition also raises important ethical and legal considerations. Issues such as data privacy, digital sovereignty and the need for human oversight require careful navigation to ensure that technological innovation aligns with principles of accountability, fairness and public trust. In addition, external pressures such as climate change underscore the need for resilient and sustainable approaches to records preservation, ensuring that archival heritage is protected for future generations.
 
This conference brings together records management professionals, technologists, legal experts and policymakers to examine how intelligent technologies can be responsibly integrated into records and archives management, while upholding ethical standards and supporting the development of an inclusive, transparent and responsive smart society.
 
Sub themes:

• Balancing innovation and integrity: ethical AI for records and archives
• AI technologies to provide archival and records management services
• Digitalisation of archives and records through robotic machines
• Records and archives as evidence for justice and audit in the digital age
• From legacy to digital age: disaster management and resilience
• IoT for accessibility of archives and records
• From vaults to cloud: rethinking the management of digital records and archives
• Data science and analytical tools in archives and records management
• Cybersecurity technologies for archives and records management
• Digital transformation inclusivity and digital divides in archival and records

Registration for physical attendance: Closed
Registration link for virtual attendance: Fill | 2nd Annual National Records Management Conference: 26-27 August 2026,