1 Paper presented at the South Africa Society of Archivists (SASA) Conference in Johannesburg South Africa 2012 Beyond the digitisation horizon: Prospects and issues for archivists and the digitisation of historical records in Zimbabwe By Delight T. Sigauke DEPARTMENT OF RECORDS & ARCHIVES MANAGEMENT National University of Science & Technology Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) Email: delight.t.sigauke@nust.ac.zw Samuel Chabikwa DEPARTMENT OF RECORDS & ARCHIVES MANAGEMENT National University of Science & Technology Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) Email: samuel.chabikwa1641@nust.ac.zw Abstract This paper will focus on the challenges and opportunities of digitisation and how digital preservation stands as the next frontier that awaits archivists as they traverse the digitisation experience. Zimbabwean Archivists must be aware of the challenges that inadvertently arise with any digitisation project. In particular, the enormous costs and time involved; the gap in professional skills and training, obsolescence of digitisation technologies, a vacuum in institutional infrastructure and indistinct strategies for a holistic programme for preserving the digitised materials. As a consequence most digitisation projects are foreign donor funded and regrettably exhibit a lack of skills and technological transfer to local archivists. Recommendations to the National Archives of Zimbabwe to consider working partnerships with on-going digitisation programmes in the region and collaborate with regional partners to ensure that future digitisation projects are home-grown and sustainable in the long-term. Keywords: Digitisation, Digital preservation, National Archives of Zimbabwe, Training, Collaboration