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Paul David Wilkin Papers Relating to Education in the North Western Province of Zambia

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University


The adult education holdings are collectively known as the
Alexander N. Charters Library of Resources for Educators of Adults.

Finding aid created by: PRB/MRC
Date: 20 May 2008

Biographical History

Paul David Wilkin graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 1962. From 1963-1965 he was a Fulbright teacher in Zambia, becoming the first headmaster of Balovale (now Zambezi) Secondary School. He spent a year (1966-1967) at the Kenya National Archives as an associate archivist, sponsored by Syracuse University, and then took a position with the University of Zambia (UNZA), where he was a lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the School of Education from 1971-1975 at their main campus in Lusaka. Then from 1975-1979, under the auspices of the Department of Continuing Education, he opened and ran a UNZA center in Solwezi for the entire North Western Province (NWP) of Zambia.

In 1979 Wilkin returned to the United States to work towards his PhD at Syracuse University, which he completed in 1984. After this, he shifted his focus to computer instructional design and training, doing work for (among others) Chase Manhattan Bank and the New York Department of Information Technology (DOITT). From 1986-2001 he worked for Merrill Lynch in their desktop publishing/graphics center, handling introduction of and training on new software applications. During much of this same period he served as a consultant and project manager for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, which is affiliated with Columbia University. In 2001 he joined the staff full time and assists in epidemiological research.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Paul David Wilkin Papers Relating to Education in the North Western Province of Zambia consists of interviews and other material collected by Wilkin while in Zambia as a teacher. Wilkins' goal was to investigate the history of the country and in particular the North Western Province (NWP). According to Wilkin:

"My academic research on the history of Zambia and the NWP was meant as basic historical research...I had initially intended to end my dissertation in 1964, but...[instead] ended it in 1945. Thus many of these oral interviews and other material that focus on the period 1945-1964 were not fully utilized. They now await use by a new generation of scholars." [Letter from the donor, July 2006]

Overview materials contains Wilkin's biographical sketch and an explanation of his connection with the North West Province (NWP). Also included here are a complete list of interviewees, listed several ways, and copies of interview questionnaires.

Interviews and related documents contains transcripts of interviews conducted by Wilkin from 1976-1979. For some interviews, the original audio recordings are also included.

Related documents consist of a small amount of correspondence, a manuscript by and correspondence with John "Ginger" Wright, a folder of material from the Mutanda Mission in Solwezi District, and one folder of material from Wimbledon at the British headquarters of the Africa Evangelical Fellowship (AEF). AEF was formerly known as the South African General Mission (SAGM).

Ministry of Education, Solwezi contains photocopies of government records and files from the Ministry of Education, Regional Headquarters, Solwezi. According to Wilkin's notes that accompany the material, "As of mid-1979, the repository consisted of government records and files stored in an old shed. The files start in 1954, when the NWP was permanently severed from the old Western (now Copperbelt) Province...the original order of these files is impossible to discern." The first folder includes a very detailed listing of all files, cross-referenced where possible with the original file numbers.

Arrangement of the Collection

The material is in the order as provided by the donor. As far as possible, all folder titles are as provided by the donor; titles or additional information provided by the processor are enclosed in square brackets [ ].

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has a large number of collections relating to adult and continuing education generally. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing. See also the David Wilkin / Muriel Williams Sanderson Correspondence for additional Wilkin material.

Subject Headings

Persons

Wilkin, Paul David.

Corporate Bodies

University of Zambia. -- Centre for Continuing Education.
University of Zambia. -- Deptartment of Education.

Subjects

Continuing education -- Zambia.
Education -- Zambia.

Places

Kabompo District (Zambia)
Kasempa District (Zambia)
Mwinilunga District (Zambia)
North-Western Province (Zambia)
Solwezi District (Zambia)
Zambezi District (Zambia)
Zambia -- History -- 1924-1953.
Zambia -- History -- 1953-1964.

Genres and Forms

CD-ROMs.
Correspondence.
Diaries.
Interviews.
Manuscripts (document genre)
Research notes.
Transcripts.

Occupations

Educators.
Historians.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Paul David Wilkin Papers Relating to Education in Zambia,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Paul David Wilkin, 2008, 2010.

Table of Contents

Overview materials

Interviews and related documents

Ministry of Education, Solwezi

Inventory