Zimbabwe Refuses to Lag Behind: The Introduction of an Information Management Degree Programme at the National University of Science and Technology

Abstract

The article looks at the introduction of a Library and Information Science programme at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Zimbabwe, as the first step towards paving the way for an introduction of a Records and Archives Management degree programme. In this article, the authors who are Third Year students and pioneers in the Department of Library and Information Science at the university lament the absence of both undergraduate and postgraduate courses directly linked to the field of Records and Archives Management in Zimbabwe. For a very long time, records managers and archivists were receiving on-the-job training, and in few cases, the subject was and still is housed in other fields such as the general arts, and library and information science. The article highlights that the subject should stand on its own and must be treated with the importance that it deserves. The call for degree programmes specific to archives management is based on the premise that the archives staff have to be fully qualified since they preserve information on the cultures of different societies, and the records they keep play an integral part in the running of any country including the decision making process. The several problems faced by both staff members and students studying towards a qualification in Records and Archives Management at NUST are also highlighted. The article winds up by making some recommendations for dealing with the problems that were identified. ESARBICA Journal Vol.23 2004: 109-117