Ingesting digital records into an archival system conceptual framework within a South African perspective

Abstract

The National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (No. 43 of 1996) as
amended (NARSSA Act) (Republic of South Africa 1996) requires that the National
Archives and Records Services of South Africa (NARSSA) should identify records with
archival value. In addition, it requires that such records be preserved as part of the national
archive heritage. The receipt of digital records from government bodies is a crucial
responsibility of NARSSA. Through the National Automated Archival Information
Retrieval System (NAAIRS), NARSSA aims to ensure that records are preserved.
Transferring digital records to NAAIRS is a responsibility assigned to NARSSA by the
NARSSA Act to enable citizens and researchers to access preserved digital records. In
this way, its commitment to nation building and social cohesion by taking archives to the
people is achieved by NARSSA. The purpose of this paper is to explore the key
components to be considered when ingesting digital records into the NAAIRS, South
Africa. This study is based on a conceptual framework based on standards endorsed by
NARSSA and the Access to Memory (AtoM) NAAIRS database. This qualitative study
uses document analysis as a data collection tool. The findings recommend that a
framework be considered for standardising the ingestion of digital records on the
NAAIRS.