Records management audit: The case of Gaborone city council

Abstract

This study aimed at auditing records management practices at Gaborone City Council (GCC). The study sought to establish how records are created, used, maintained and disposed of at GCC. It also sought to determine the usage of information communication technologies in the creation, maintenance, use and disposition of records, the existence or non-existence of records management policies and procedures, as well as records security measures at GCC. A case study methodology was used and questionnaires were distributed to 35 officers selected from senior members of staff and records/ administrative personnel. Personal observations were carried out and interviews were conducted to substantiate data gathered from the questionnaires. The study revealed that GCC lacks organization-wide policies and procedures for the creation, use, maintenance and disposition of records resulting in uncoordinated procedures for managing its records and that most of the processes for managing records were manual. The study recommends that GCC develops and implements Council-wide records management policies and procedures to ensure the creation and maintenance of authentic, reliable, complete and useable records, capable of supporting business functions and activities for as long as they are needed.