Impact of COVID-19 on access to the National Archives of Zimbabwe post-pandemic accessibility and future operations

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic greatly impacted most sectors of Zimbabwean society, including archives and records management institutions like the National Archives of Zimbabwe (NAZ). The subsequent lockdown and emergency measures taken by the government in an attempt to stem the spread of the pandemic meant that all businesses and services were shut down, except for what government prescribed as essential services and businesses. The NAZ, like all government departments, was declared an essential service but with scaled-down operations and activities from March 2020. While it was open to the public, the lockdown restricted physical movement by the citizenry rendering access impossible given the fact that its collections are not readily available remotely. This paper describes the impact of Covid-19 on the accessibility of archival materials at the NAZ, and the challenges induced by the Covid-19 pandemic. The use of physical resources declined while remote access increased for some of the collections. It also highlights the collaboration between NAZ and the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare in implementing the pronounced Covid-19 protocols to remain open and continue to render access to its patrons and users. The paper also draws lessons from previous pandemics and standard operating procedures as enunciated by the International Council on Archives and such bodies on how archival institutions like the NAZ can navigate pandemics and chaos and continue to fulfil their mandates as prescribed by statute.