Bryanston High School embraces digitisation to preserve year books and capture decades of memories
Bryanston High School, situated in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, serves Grade 8 to 12 learners aged 14 to 18 years. The school’s year books, dating back to its inception in 1968, play a crucial role in preserving the institutions’ traditions, successes, and trends. These year books serve as a bridge, connecting past alumni, staff, and the community with the school’s history and enduring heritage.
Prior to 2020, Bryanston High School’s year books existed solely as printed copies. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns ushered in an era of digital transformation. The school swiftly transitioned to producing digital year books, adapting for a period of time to the new normal of remote learning and virtual engagements. Sometime thereafter, requests started coming in for copies of older year books prompting a strategic decision to embark on a comprehensive digitisation initiative to ensure all annuals would be available for download.
Deputy Principal Andy Crighton sheds light on the driving force behind this transformative journey, stating, “The decision to undertake digitisation was primarily driven by the desire to fulfil requests from past students and the community. We had many requests from past students to make these available online, as many of them had lost their year books over the years.”
Navigating through the annals of time posed some initial challenges, requiring the school to secure at least one copy from every year between 1968 and 2019. “Fortunately, diligent efforts in searching through school archives yielded a copy for every year, laying the foundation for the digitisation project,” adds Crighton.
Digitisation step-by-step
The journey towards digitisation began with research, leading Bryanston High School to the doorstep of Sabinet’s digitisation services. “I found your company by doing some online searches,” says Crighton, “And subsequently reached out to the Sabinet digitisation team for further details”.
Sabinet’s digitisation service typically follows a process of an initial consultation to discuss the client’s requirements, assessment of the materials, preparation, digitisation using specialised equipment and software, quality control, metadata and indexing, and finally delivery in the specified format.
All phases were expertly managed by Sabinet’s dedicated team, earning accolades from Crighton. “I was very impressed with the levels of service from Thabang Methi and the Sabinet team members involved in the project. They facilitated the project with professionalism and expertise, ensuring that the digitisation project met our expectations.”
The deputy principal says that the success of the project has been evident, with positive feedback received online from past teachers, students, and the community.
“Thank you very much for your professional service. I am thrilled with how this project turned out. I would certainly recommend your company to others. We have put the year books on our website for the parents, students, and alumni to enjoy.” — Deputy Principal Andy Crighton
Bryanston High School’s journey of digitising their year books symbolises a commitment to preserving history, fostering community engagement and wholeheartedly embracing digital innovation. The digital year book collection is available on their website at: https://www.bryanston.com/our-school/year-books.
After the fact
“The cost of the service was very competitive, compared to other company quotes,” adds Crighton. “Despite the project taking longer than expected due to the extensive content, the outcome has been immensely beneficial, creating positive marketing and engagement opportunities for the school.”
Looking ahead, while Bryanston High School has not yet explored digitisation in other areas, the success of this project opens doors for leveraging digitisation benefits in various organisational aspects in the future.
The school’s journey of digitising their year books represents a commitment to preserving history, fostering community engagement, and embracing digital transformation. Through collaboration with Sabinet, they have successfully bridged the past with the present, ensuring that generations to come can access and appreciate the rich legacy encapsulated in their year books.
Sabinet’s digitisation process
