Records preservation in developing countries with special reference to Tanzania

Abstract

There is no Librarian / Documentalist today who can shy away from the fact that the Information World stands the imminent risk of losing so much of its valuable written heritage. The situation is more alarming in developing countries especially in Africa South of Sahara, where a large number of documents are in their advanced stage of deterioration due to the interplay of factors not very prominent in developed countries. Tanzania is a good example where preservation issues are not accorded high priority. The paper discusses and highlights enemies of Library materials, which cause deterioration. The paper also discusses the importance of records preservation policies in libraries and their implementation. Finally the paper suggests alternative records management strategies.

University of Dar es Salaam Library Journal Vol.6(2) 2004: 108-123