Journal of the South African Society of Archivists

The utilisation of mobile technologies in outreach services at the National Archives of Zimbabwe

Victor Nduna — 2023-11-30

This article focuses on investigating the utilisation of mobile technologies in outreach services at the National Archives of Zimbabwe (NAZ). The study adopted a case study strategy anchored on an interpretivist paradigm. Data were gathered from interviews with a purposively selected maximum variation sample of NAZ staff members and from relevant primary documents and physical artefacts. The collected data were thematically analysed and presented in accordance with the research objectives. The findings established that staff were aware of and keen to adopt mobile technologies for outreach purposes. However, negative conditions at NAZ such as limited access to the internet, lack of a clear policy, equipment, and technical support hindered mobile technology adoption for outreach purposes. The study established that the disparity between staff awareness levels and institutional preparedness influenced staff members’ adoption of mobile technologies outside official channels. As such, mobile technologies used in outreach services at NAZ were ad hoc. Overall, the study established that mobile technology utilisation at NAZ was in the elemental stages, where use variety, breadth and intensity were constrained. The study recommends that NAZ should craft a policy to regulate and institutionalise the use of mobile technologies for outreach purposes, and upgrade their ICT facilities.

A framework for development of digital records preservation in the cloud in Botswana

Olefhile Mosweu — 2023-11-30

The deployment of digital systems in the delivery of public services by the Government of Botswana has seen an increase in the generation of digital records. Without preservation efforts over time, the continued availability of digital records is not guaranteed. The reverse side of this is that a focused records preservation regime ensures access to and accurate digital records in the long term, regardless of the challenges of media failure and technological change. Lack of an adequate legal and policy framework on digital material preservation; gaps in human resources in terms of knowledge, skills, and competencies to drive digital material preservation; lack of appropriate standards for digital records preservation; and limited collaborative efforts towards digital records preservation are some of the challenges in digital records preservation in Botswana. Despite these challenges related to digital records preservation, developing countries in Africa are increasingly embracing the use of cloud computing technology for the management and preservation of digital records due to its benefits. In the developed world, cloud computing has matured into a viable option for the management and preservation of digital records. This study utilised a review of literature, supplemented by document analysis, to propose a framework for digital preservation of records in the cloud in the context of e-government in the Botswana public sector. It is guided by concepts from the Policy, Strategy and Resources troika model as a lens to frame the study. The model provides the key elements of policy, strategy, and resources as necessary for the preservation of records in Botswana’s public sector, using cloud computing as a platform. The proposed framework for the preservation of digital records may benefit public sector organisations that endeavour to adopt cloud computing for records preservation.

Management of electronic records to support judicial systems at Temba Magistrates’ Court in the North West Province of South Africa

Dikeledi Teffo — 2023-11-30

The management of electronic records has been a burning issue in many sectors, particularly the justice sector. Criminal justice institutions, such as courts and ministries of justice, suffer from inadequate management of court records, which undermines the legal and judicial systems. South African courts are overburdened with backlogs, delays, and corruption due to poor electronic record management. The dysfunctional management of electronic records has led to poor service delivery and justice for citizens. These concerns provided the impetus for research to assess the management of electronic records at Temba Magistrates’ Court in the North West Province of South Africa. To achieve the stated aim, the study adopted a qualitative approach through a case study design. Data were collected by conducting interviews with purposely selected records officers, a records manager, registry clerks and document controllers. The findings of the study indicated that Temba Magistrates’ Court has put in place relevant legislation and policies for managing electronic records. The study findings showed that staff are not complying with records management policy. The major findings of the study revealed that the Temba Magistrates’ Court has experienced unforeseen consequences, including a backlog of cases, challenges of data storage, loss, and misplacement of electronic court records resulting from poor records management practices. The study concluded with recommendations for the need to motivate and encourage staff members to adhere to the records management policy. The study also revealed the need to adopt multifactor authentication mechanisms such as biometrics, passwords, and fingerprints to reduce or prevent unauthorised access to electronic court records. A comprehensive records management programme should be developed and implemented. It is concluded that staff members working at Temba Magistrates’ Court should be suitably trained in all aspects of electronic court management.

Management of human resource records to support functions in the Ministry of Health, Kenya

Aloice Olali Sudhe — 2023-11-30

The study aimed to assess the management of human resource records in the Ministry of Health in Kenya. Despite the support provided by human resource records for service delivery in the Ministry, there are still challenges created by reports of missing files and accumulation of files with no space for accommodation. Problems faced by human resource records management include lack of skills and competencies, inadequate human and financial resources, and lack of policy and support by management in providing necessary requirements for the human resource records management unit’s (RMU) operation. The paper assesses the management of human resource records and proposes strategies and intervention measures for their effective and efficient management. The study adopted both the records life cycle model and qualitative research method. Stratified random sampling and purposive sampling were used to select respondents. Ten individuals from the sampled staff were selected for the pilot of the research instruments to test validity and reliability. The targeted population for the study was 307 staff from the Ministry of Health headquarters and its affiliate departments. A sample size of 94 members of staff, constituting 30% of the targeted population, was derived. They included top management, records management staff, clerical staff, human resource management staff, finance staff, information and communication technology (ICT) staff, and heads of departments. The findings revealed that despite efforts made to adopt the best practices, there were still challenges in implementing the elements of records management infrastructure, inadequate top management, and sustainable technical support in the implementation of ICT and human resource records management programmes in the ministry. The study recommended implementation of the elements of records management infrastructure, inadequate top management, and sustainable technical support in the implementation of ICT in resolving the challenges in the management of human resource records in the Ministry of Health.

The effect of converted buildings on the management of records and archives in the Eastern Cape Provincial Archives of South Africa

Vuyolwethu Ethel Feni-Fete — 2023-11-30

Archival buildings play a pivotal role in the management of records and archives. This paper highlights the findings of a case study that investigated the effect of converted buildings on the management of records and archives in the Eastern Cape Provincial Archives in the Eastern Cape province in South Africa. The study population consisted of all archives and records personnel in the Eastern Cape Provincial Archives. The sample comprised 13 purposively selected participants. The participants had the requisite knowledge and experience pertaining to the management of records and archives in their respective records and archives in the provincial archives offices. These included the director, assistant directors, archivists, and assistant archivists. Data were collected using interviews, observations, and document analysis. Collected data were analysed using emerging themes based on the objectives of the study. The findings of the study revealed that all archival offices and repositories of the Eastern Cape Provincial Archives are housed in converted buildings. There was a clear lack of adequate and suitable office and working space, and repositories for effective management of records and archives. This has serious implications for adequate processing, storage, access to, and preservation of, records and archival materials. It was recommended that more resources should be allocated for the management of records and archives by revamping the existing facilities while resources are provided for planning and building of requisite infrastructure for records and archives management for the Eastern Cape province.

Records management practice to support patients’ treatments in selected public clinics of Mankweng in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Linkie M Ramaphoko — 2023-11-30

This study assessed records management practices to support patients’ treatments in the selected public clinics of Mankweng, Limpopo Province, South Africa. In primary healthcare facilities, patient records management begins during the creation stage, when a patient arrives and a file is created before treatment can be offered. Depending on the records’ value, the opened file should be managed for as long as the patient receives treatment, longer. Failure to access or retrieve the file may have a negative impact on the continuity of the patient’s treatment and progress because there will be no baseline comparison for healthcare practitioners to work on. A quantitative descriptive research design was used to collect data, and a structured questionnaire was administered to 41 participants from eight of Mankweng's 21 public clinics, including registry clerks, administrative clerks, data capturers, and healthcare workers. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistical data analysis. According to the findings, records were created both manually and electronically and were filed daily before the end of business. Furthermore, public clinics separated active and inactive records to improve retrieval efficiency, and a functional file plan was implemented to ensure that records personnel did not have difficulty in retrieving files. The study recommends that a hybrid system be used to capture records as well as manage and control them throughout their life cycle. This will serve as a backup to prevent service disruptions if the system becomes dysfunctional, such as during blackouts or when a physical file is misplaced. The paper provides valuable information about the state of records management practices in clinics in Limpopo Province.

The proficient use of Enterprise Content Management systems for access and use of records for decision-making

Nikiwe Momoti — 2023-11-30

The paper critically reviews literature on Enterprise Content Management Systems (ECMS). The paper argues that previous studies do not address the complete implementation process of the ECMS. The focus of previous studies has been on the pre-deployment and the actual use of ECMS, leaving out the proficient use of the ECMS after deployment. This paper reviews 43 publications on factors that contribute to the proficient use of the ECMS to access and use records with the aim of determining the current state of knowledge on the subject. The paper reveals that continuous ECMS training; change management and awareness programmes; access to the system by all staff; a robust Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure for continuous accessibility of the system; integration with existing records producing systems; compliance with legislation, standards, and policies are enablers for the proficient use of ECMs. However, publications on access to the ECMS by all staff and compliance with legislation, standards, and policies, were scarce. Therefore, an agenda for future ECM research is suggested. In addition, the paper proposes a conceptual framework to guide organisations on success factors to consider before, during, and after deployment of an ECMS to facilitate access and use of records. The paper is significant in that it identifies gaps where further research is needed as well as applicable research approaches to be explored in future studies. In addition to contributing to electronic records management and ECM research, the proposed conceptual framework may be used for future studies and to guide ECM strategies.

Keeping to your lane

Samson Mutsagondo — 2023-11-30

There has been a sharp rise in the use of electronic mail (email) in public organisations owing to its low cost, ease of use, and speed of transmission of information, among other advantages. This enhanced public service delivery in an era when clients are increasingly calling for public accountability and improved service delivery. While the use of electronic mail seems to be attractive in many respects, there is contention over who is or should be responsible for managing email records in an organisation. Informed by the skills theory, this study holds that acquisition of requisite skills and competencies is a necessary condition for excellence in job performance, productivity, and service delivery. This mixed methods research approach used a convergent research design where 240 records, administration, and information and communication technology officers from 12 government ministries completed questionnaires while 10 officers were interviewed. The interviewees comprised seven National Archives of Zimbabwe archivists, the director of the National Archives of Zimbabwe, one administration director, and one information and communication technology director from Zimbabwe’s central government. Data were further solicited using personal observation and document reviews. Ethical considerations such as seeking consent from participants, obtaining authorisation from organisations, and anonymising participants were observed in the study. The study established that information and communication technology officers were mostly entrusted with managing email records ahead of records officers, an arrangement which the study regards as rather misplaced. A collaboration matrix was proposed where records officers work as email records managers while information and communication technology officers work as email system enablers, thus emphasising the importance of each “keeping to their lane.”

Machine learning for document classification in an archive of the National Afrikaans Literary Museum and Research Centre

Susan Brokensha — 2023-11-30

https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jsasa.v56i1.10

ISSN: 1012-2796

©SASA 2023

Most archives were established before the digital age, where hardcopies of much smaller volumes were archived. In the information age, archives struggle to accommodate the large volumes of material produced. In addition, many archives, including in South Africa, had to contend with budget cuts that reduced the number of staff available. If digital material is not archived now, it creates the risk of gaps in the historical record in the future. In addition, with digital humanities gaining wider acceptance, large corpuses of digital material are needed, which archives could provide. This study’s aim was to investigate whether document classification using machine learning classifiers is feasible in a South African archive context, with a focus on the National Afrikaans Literary Museum and Research Centre (NALN). The researchers created and trained a document classification model and tested it for accuracy against human classifiers. It followed a basic linguistic approach to prepare specific text documents for text classification, in terms of Galloway and Roux’s (2019) six categories, namely articles, media reports, books, interviews, reviews, and dissertations and theses. The classification was done using two annotators, after which the annotated corpus was employed as training data for machine learning models. Following Rolan et al. (2018), Suominen (2019), and Connelly et al. (2020), Python libraries were used for document classifications. The researchers show that machine learning classifiers can accurately categorise documents into different types. If implemented, this means that archives can improve their collection efforts without spending more on salaries. One way of coping with the information explosion is to develop metadata generation tools, like machine learning and artificial intelligence. If metadata could be automatically generated, it would reduce the pressure on archival personnel by providing a way to handle larger volumes.

Management of inactive records by cooperatives in Lake Zone, Tanzania

John Jackson Iwata — 2023-11-30

Cooperatives in Tanzania’s Lake Zone generate many records that have archival value, but they face challenges in managing them when they become inactive. This study aimed to assess the status and experiences of managing inactive records by cooperatives in Lake Zone and the prospects for improving their management. A mixed methods approach with cross-sectional research design were employed in which data were collected from board members of eight cooperatives through focus group discussions, face-to-face interviews, observation, and document review. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. The study revealed that Tanzania has a rich collection of inactive cooperative records, but they are scattered in various cooperative societies across the country without proper management. Consequently, most of inactive records were dumped in rooms and wet places with insects that were inaccessible to users. The board members did not recognise the importance of the generated records in the cooperative movement. In addition, they were unaware of the availability of Records and Archives Management Policy as a guiding tool to ensure proper management of the generated cooperative records. This study established that the Records and Archives Management Policy was silent about managing cooperative records. The study concluded that cooperatives need to develop legal frameworks for cooperative records keeping, provide resources and training for records management, and create awareness of the value of archival records among cooperative members.