A Survey of National Archives Reference Services in Swaziland and Tanzania: An Examination of the Expectations and Behaviour of Users

Abstract

National archival institutions have a legal obligation to provide access to their collections. By so doing, archivists should adhere to a code of ethics and archival standards in the design and delivery of suitable and sustainable archival access programmes. The significance of an archival establishment is best measured by the services it provides to its clientele. Blais and Enns (1990) argue that archives as government repositories, must ensure visibility and accessibility to archival collections. Nonetheless archival institutions are faced with challenges in providing and promoting public programmes. Using a survey the article examines the relevance of archival reference services at the Swaziland National Archives and the Tanzania Records and Archives Management Department (RAMD) vis-a-vis the expected archival standards. The article focuses on the following factors: main users of archival materials, archival outreach programmes, policies, rules and regulation, facilities and equipment, operating hours, user satisfaction with reference services, and challenges faced. The major finding from the survey is that archivists are not exploiting Information Technology (IT) to meet users‟ needs. Since users have varied needs and they require services at different hours, online services would be the most effective way to satisfy customers‟ needs.

Keywords: Archival Reference Services, Archival Public Programming, Access, User needs