Pub Date : 2011-03-10DOI: 10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64288
K. Tshotlo, N. Mnjama
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.
{"title":"Records management audit: The case of Gaborone city council","authors":"K. Tshotlo, N. Mnjama","doi":"10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64288","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64288","url":null,"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.","PeriodicalId":125371,"journal":{"name":"ESARBICA Journal: Journal of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115017820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2011-03-10DOI: 10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64300
C. Qobo
The article gives an account of the efforts being made by the royal family and the Matsieng Board of Trustees to safeguard and preserve royal archives and what has been achieved so far, and the challenges and prospects towards the digitization of these records as a means of preserving them. Among the root causes of the problem is poor management of records in Lesotho which has affected the development of archival services as a whole. The National Archives was established in 1957 during the colonial period under the office of the Government Secretary, but the archives service as a whole is still at the rudimentary stage. For a long time the National Archives did not have accommodation and was operating with limited resources. The outdated legislation, the Archives Act of 1967, also contributes to the problems of archival development in the country, making the climate for archives sector gloomy.
{"title":"Challenges of digitizing the endangered Lesotho royal archives","authors":"C. Qobo","doi":"10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64300","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64300","url":null,"abstract":"The article gives an account of the efforts being made by the royal family and the Matsieng Board of Trustees to safeguard and preserve royal archives and what has been achieved so far, and the challenges and prospects towards the digitization of these records as a means of preserving them. Among the root causes of the problem is poor management of records in Lesotho which has affected the development of archival services as a whole. The National Archives was established in 1957 during the colonial period under the office of the Government Secretary, but the archives service as a whole is still at the rudimentary stage. For a long time the National Archives did not have accommodation and was operating with limited resources. The outdated legislation, the Archives Act of 1967, also contributes to the problems of archival development in the country, making the climate for archives sector gloomy.","PeriodicalId":125371,"journal":{"name":"ESARBICA Journal: Journal of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives","volume":"57 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123420051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2011-03-10DOI: 10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64294
Ga Kamatula
This article discusses the challenges and prospects of e-government and e-records for African records managers and archivists. It defines the concepts of e-government and e-records. Further, the article provides an overview of the current situation of e-records management and e-government as a result of the new ICTs development. Perspectives of e-government and its link with e-records will also be explored. Further, advantages and disadvantages of e-records and egovernment implementation will be squarely analyzed. Both previous and current literatures on e-records and e-government will be presented.
{"title":"E-Government and E-Records: Challenges and prospects for African Records Managers and Archivists","authors":"Ga Kamatula","doi":"10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64294","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64294","url":null,"abstract":"This article discusses the challenges and prospects of e-government and e-records for African records managers and archivists. It defines the concepts of e-government and e-records. Further, the article provides an overview of the current situation of e-records management and e-government as a result of the new ICTs development. Perspectives of e-government and its link with e-records will also be explored. Further, advantages and disadvantages of e-records and egovernment implementation will be squarely analyzed. Both previous and current literatures on e-records and e-government will be presented.","PeriodicalId":125371,"journal":{"name":"ESARBICA Journal: Journal of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121911292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2011-03-10DOI: 10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64289
M. Ngoepe, L. Mokoena, P. Ngulube
Computers have become such valuable tools for conducting business that today people would have difficulty imagining work without them. One great advantage of the computers is the ease with which a large quantity of data can be analysed, manipulated and shared among people. However, there are a number of compelling security, privacy and ethical dilemmas raised by computer systems. For example, the monitoring of employee e-mails by employers to prevent them from wasting organisation’s resources on non-business activities. This article seeks to investigate security, privacy and ethical dilemmas in the electronic records management environment in the South African public sector. In order to draw inferences and recommendations, a survey was conducted on existing national government departments in South Africa. Firstly, findings of the literature review (content analysis) are discussed. Secondly, the results from the survey are analysed and interpreted. The article concludes by arguing that without a proper information security framework and professional code of ethics that embrace electronic records management, government departments could expose themselves to unnecessary financial losses due to litigations resulting from invasion of privacy and unethical behaviour, and urges government departments in South Africa to implement Electronic Document and Records Management Systems that are able to capture records in read-only format and generate a non-editable audit trail of all actions to address security dilemmas of electronic records.
{"title":"Security, privacy and ethics in electronic records management in the South African public sector","authors":"M. Ngoepe, L. Mokoena, P. Ngulube","doi":"10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64289","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64289","url":null,"abstract":"Computers have become such valuable tools for conducting business that today people would have difficulty imagining work without them. One great advantage of the computers is the ease with which a large quantity of data can be analysed, manipulated and shared among people. However, there are a number of compelling security, privacy and ethical dilemmas raised by computer systems. For example, the monitoring of employee e-mails by employers to prevent them from wasting organisation’s resources on non-business activities. This article seeks to investigate security, privacy and ethical dilemmas in the electronic records management environment in the South African public sector. In order to draw inferences and recommendations, a survey was conducted on existing national government departments in South Africa. Firstly, findings of the literature review (content analysis) are discussed. Secondly, the results from the survey are analysed and interpreted. The article concludes by arguing that without a proper information security framework and professional code of ethics that embrace electronic records management, government departments could expose themselves to unnecessary financial losses due to litigations resulting from invasion of privacy and unethical behaviour, and urges government departments in South Africa to implement Electronic Document and Records Management Systems that are able to capture records in read-only format and generate a non-editable audit trail of all actions to address security dilemmas of electronic records.","PeriodicalId":125371,"journal":{"name":"ESARBICA Journal: Journal of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives","volume":"613 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123322385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2011-03-10DOI: 10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64293
T. Kalusopa
Literature shows that by and large, most labour organisations’ activities are largely knowledge-based as well as information intensive and that the proliferation of e-records has brought about many challenges to labour organizations, many of which are unaware of the numerous issues pertaining to the creation, storage and retrieval and dissemination of e-records. Currently there are various assessment tools that have been put in place to assess the depth of e-readiness all over the world. However, most of these tools have been criticized for “varying definitions for e-readiness and different methods for measurement while others have been criticized for lacking the “information access” component but “subsumed under information and communication technology (ICT)”. In particular, most of these tools are said to be general in nature and that they are highly quantitative in measurement, focus on government agencies and do not emphasize the question of e-record readiness in the civil society or non-governmental organizations. The question, therefore, that needs to be addressed is whether the existing e-records readiness framework is appropriate for assessing e-records readiness in labour organizations and to what extent such a framework can be used as basis for understanding the management of electronic records in such organizations. This article therefore interrogates the usefulness of e-records readiness assessment tools in labour organizations in Botswana. Based on a literature review, the article seeks to review the content, context and implementation of e-records readiness tools in labour organisations in Botswana. The article concludes by calling for the development of a framework that “institutionalises knowledge about the e-records readiness process-es” in labour organizations for them to integrate fully in the envisaged e-environment in Botswana.
{"title":"E-record readiness – Can we build a contextual and conceptual framework for labour organisations in Botswana?","authors":"T. Kalusopa","doi":"10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64293","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64293","url":null,"abstract":"Literature shows that by and large, most labour organisations’ activities are largely knowledge-based as well as information intensive and that the proliferation of e-records has brought about many challenges to labour organizations, many of which are unaware of the numerous issues pertaining to the creation, storage and retrieval and dissemination of e-records. Currently there are various assessment tools that have been put in place to assess the depth of e-readiness all over the world. However, most of these tools have been criticized for “varying definitions for e-readiness and different methods for measurement while others have been criticized for lacking the “information access” component but “subsumed under information and communication technology (ICT)”. In particular, most of these tools are said to be general in nature and that they are highly quantitative in measurement, focus on government agencies and do not emphasize the question of e-record readiness in the civil society or non-governmental organizations. The question, therefore, that needs to be addressed is whether the existing e-records readiness framework is appropriate for assessing e-records readiness in labour organizations and to what extent such a framework can be used as basis for understanding the management of electronic records in such organizations. This article therefore interrogates the usefulness of e-records readiness assessment tools in labour organizations in Botswana. Based on a literature review, the article seeks to review the content, context and implementation of e-records readiness tools in labour organisations in Botswana. The article concludes by calling for the development of a framework that “institutionalises knowledge about the e-records readiness process-es” in labour organizations for them to integrate fully in the envisaged e-environment in Botswana.","PeriodicalId":125371,"journal":{"name":"ESARBICA Journal: Journal of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives","volume":"222 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131559193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2011-03-10DOI: 10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64297
J. Myeza
The article provides an overview of the practical implementation of a digital library using open source software. Southern Africa has not fully embraced or incorporated open source software into their information management operations. This lack of adaptation is attributed to a number of reasons amongst which are lack of general awareness and the absence of appropriately trained librarians to take advantage of such technological sources. The article gives guidelines and recommendations on what to consider when planning to digitize a collection. The following issues will be looked at: digital rights management, institutional repositories, Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS is an XML Schema designed for the purpose of creating XML document instances that express the hierarchical structure of digital library objects) and its applications, the open archives initiatives, and open source software for digital libraries. The article also focuses on the practical steps in using open source software for digitizing. Open source software has been chosen because of its free availability.
{"title":"A practical guide to digitizing a collection using Open Source Software: A Southern African perspective","authors":"J. Myeza","doi":"10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64297","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/ESARJO.V29I1.64297","url":null,"abstract":"The article provides an overview of the practical implementation of a digital library using open source software. Southern Africa has not fully embraced or incorporated open source software into their information management operations. This lack of adaptation is attributed to a number of reasons amongst which are lack of general awareness and the absence of appropriately trained librarians to take advantage of such technological sources. The article gives guidelines and recommendations on what to consider when planning to digitize a collection. The following issues will be looked at: digital rights management, institutional repositories, Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS is an XML Schema designed for the purpose of creating XML document instances that express the hierarchical structure of digital library objects) and its applications, the open archives initiatives, and open source software for digital libraries. The article also focuses on the practical steps in using open source software for digitizing. Open source software has been chosen because of its free availability.","PeriodicalId":125371,"journal":{"name":"ESARBICA Journal: Journal of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives","volume":"346 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121697913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2009-07-17DOI: 10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44403
D. Ramatlhakwana
The advent of information and communication technologies (ICTs) tools has enabled possibilities for the digitization of the African heritage. Digitization of the African heritage makes it easier to share and access digital information across the world using different ICT tools. In as much as digitization has enabled the African Heritage to be converted from text, audio and images into digital format leading to improved preservation of cultural and historical materials, this is not without challenges. The critical challenge emanates from whether it is the ICT or the people who have to determine the material which qualifies to be the African heritage. Another equally important challenge is whether digitizing the African heritage will not be seen as intrusive into places which have been seen and revered as sacred. There is then the challenge of overcoming a hurdle which develops when ICT is expected to take over and to replace traditional practices of preserving and providing access to African heritage. The prospect of introducing new technology into a traditionalist environment may pose a problem if the traditionalists view the technology as trying to change the way they have been relaying their history and traditional practices. For example, the oral tradition of telling stories around the fire will now lose the setting and ambience that this tradition created. Here the medium of communication is changed; the connection with the audience is also modified as well as immediate feedback. The last challenge relates to the authenticity of digitized heritage. This paper seeks to discuss the above challenges. It does so with conviction that digitizing the African heritage is not just about converting material from analogue into digital format but encompasses its acceptance and use. The acceptance and use will be achievable only when the above challenges are appreciated and ways found to address them.
{"title":"Challenges to Digitizing the African Heritage: Some Reflections","authors":"D. Ramatlhakwana","doi":"10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44403","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44403","url":null,"abstract":"The advent of information and communication technologies (ICTs) tools has enabled possibilities for the digitization of the African heritage. Digitization of the African heritage makes it easier to share and access digital information across the world using different ICT tools. In as much as digitization has enabled the African Heritage to be converted from text, audio and images into digital format leading to improved preservation of cultural and historical materials, this is not without challenges. The critical challenge emanates from whether it is the ICT or the people who have to determine the material which qualifies to be the African heritage. Another equally important challenge is whether digitizing the African heritage will not be seen as intrusive into places which have been seen and revered as sacred. There is then the challenge of overcoming a hurdle which develops when ICT is expected to take over and to replace traditional practices of preserving and providing access to African heritage. The prospect of introducing new technology into a traditionalist environment may pose a problem if the traditionalists view the technology as trying to change the way they have been relaying their history and traditional practices. For example, the oral tradition of telling stories around the fire will now lose the setting and ambience that this tradition created. Here the medium of communication is changed; the connection with the audience is also modified as well as immediate feedback. The last challenge relates to the authenticity of digitized heritage. This paper seeks to discuss the above challenges. It does so with conviction that digitizing the African heritage is not just about converting material from analogue into digital format but encompasses its acceptance and use. The acceptance and use will be achievable only when the above challenges are appreciated and ways found to address them.","PeriodicalId":125371,"journal":{"name":"ESARBICA Journal: Journal of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives","volume":"125 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121783384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2009-07-17DOI: 10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44401
Z. Sulej
This article explores both a redefinition of the role of the university archive in civil society and fresh perspectives on its changing role. The process of change in the university archives due to changes in societal landscapes is also presented. University archives in South Africa do not have a long history of existence, as they only started operating as separate divisions in most tertiary institutions in the late 60’s. At some universities they still function as a part of the university libraries. The experience of Wits University Archives is used as a case study to show its role in preserving history of this academic institution as well as its involvement in the preservation of national history. Wits Archives can be proud of being the oldest university archives in South Africa and also keeps very valuable and internationally known paper collections. Students and academics of this institution were always actively involved in shaping the university and also national history. During the last few years the focus of the student population has changed and therefore the role of archives and its approach towards these changes should also be different. The article addresses some of the important issues concerning the functioning of Wits University Archives and the strategies it has employed to move away from the traditional role as a pure keeper of University history.
{"title":"Changing Landscapes: The University Archive in a New South Africa","authors":"Z. Sulej","doi":"10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44401","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44401","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores both a redefinition of the role of the university archive in civil society and fresh perspectives on its changing role. The process of change in the university archives due to changes in societal landscapes is also presented. University archives in South Africa do not have a long history of existence, as they only started operating as separate divisions in most tertiary institutions in the late 60’s. At some universities they still function as a part of the university libraries. The experience of Wits University Archives is used as a case study to show its role in preserving history of this academic institution as well as its involvement in the preservation of national history. Wits Archives can be proud of being the oldest university archives in South Africa and also keeps very valuable and internationally known paper collections. Students and academics of this institution were always actively involved in shaping the university and also national history. During the last few years the focus of the student population has changed and therefore the role of archives and its approach towards these changes should also be different. The article addresses some of the important issues concerning the functioning of Wits University Archives and the strategies it has employed to move away from the traditional role as a pure keeper of University history.","PeriodicalId":125371,"journal":{"name":"ESARBICA Journal: Journal of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"120958713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2009-07-17DOI: 10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44398
S. Keakopa
This article provides a critical review of existing articles addressing the management of electronic records in the Eastern and Southern African Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) region. The article argues that while the literature in developed countries has come up with practical solutions to the management electronic records, this has remained theoretical in most developing countries. In particular, the article argues that the literature in the ESARBICA region has not provided sufficient guidance that could help practitioners deal with the management of electronic records in this developing region. Further, the article concludes that academics in the area of archives and records management need to generate challenging debates based on critical thinking that can help practitioners come up with practical solutions to the management of electronic records in the region.
{"title":"A Critical Review of the Literature on Electronic Records Management in the ESARBICA Region","authors":"S. Keakopa","doi":"10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44398","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44398","url":null,"abstract":"This article provides a critical review of existing articles addressing the management of electronic records in the Eastern and Southern African Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) region. The article argues that while the literature in developed countries has come up with practical solutions to the management electronic records, this has remained theoretical in most developing countries. In particular, the article argues that the literature in the ESARBICA region has not provided sufficient guidance that could help practitioners deal with the management of electronic records in this developing region. Further, the article concludes that academics in the area of archives and records management need to generate challenging debates based on critical thinking that can help practitioners come up with practical solutions to the management of electronic records in the region.","PeriodicalId":125371,"journal":{"name":"ESARBICA Journal: Journal of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives","volume":"210 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122838808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2009-07-17DOI: 10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44397
M. Ngoepe
Systems used to arrange or classify government records play a key role in a government department’s ability to conduct and manage its business information over time. In recent years, there has been growing interest within the public sector records management community in using function-based classification systems as a means to link business context, instead of classifying it into groupings reflecting ever-changing organisational structures. Function-based records classification systems are in line with the principle of levels of arrangement and description as records are organised according to hierarchical levels in order to reflect the nature of their creation. The development in South Africa with regard to records classification systems resulted in the National Archives and Records Service propagating the use of functional subject file plan by governmental bodies. Therefore, this article presents a perspective on the approach being taken by the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa in assisting government departments to classify their business information to achieve accountability and service delivery. The article sets out the background to; and the factors affecting the development of government departments’ records classification systems and the benefits thereof. It then evaluate the effectiveness of NARS functional subject file plan in meeting service delivery by government departments. In trying to arrive at the bottom of the story, a survey was conducted on existing national government departments in South Africa.
{"title":"Organising Public Records to Achieve Service Delivery: The Role of the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa’s Functional Subject File Plan in Government Departments","authors":"M. Ngoepe","doi":"10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44397","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/ESARJO.V28I1.44397","url":null,"abstract":"Systems used to arrange or classify government records play a key role in a government department’s ability to conduct and manage its business information over time. In recent years, there has been growing interest within the public sector records management community in using function-based classification systems as a means to link business context, instead of classifying it into groupings reflecting ever-changing organisational structures. Function-based records classification systems are in line with the principle of levels of arrangement and description as records are organised according to hierarchical levels in order to reflect the nature of their creation. The development in South Africa with regard to records classification systems resulted in the National Archives and Records Service propagating the use of functional subject file plan by governmental bodies. Therefore, this article presents a perspective on the approach being taken by the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa in assisting government departments to classify their business information to achieve accountability and service delivery. The article sets out the background to; and the factors affecting the development of government departments’ records classification systems and the benefits thereof. It then evaluate the effectiveness of NARS functional subject file plan in meeting service delivery by government departments. In trying to arrive at the bottom of the story, a survey was conducted on existing national government departments in South Africa.","PeriodicalId":125371,"journal":{"name":"ESARBICA Journal: Journal of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130804230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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