The management of public records and archives in the member countries of ESARBICA

Abstract

This article discusses the findings of a cross-sectional study conducted between 2004 and 2005 to determine the extent to which archival institutions within the East and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) region managed public records and archives. It is important that public records and archives are managed efficiently and effectively because the information they contain is the cornerstone of holding government accountable and fostering good governance. Data for the research were obtained through interviews, content analysis of documents and self-administered questionnaires that were mailed to the 13 member states that comprised ESARBICA. The study revealed that national archives within ESARBICA had limited resources for records management functions. Secondly, records management processes were neither governed by standards nor guided by a professional code of ethics. Thirdly, records management staff were not adequately trained. Fourthly, electronic records were in danger of being lost due to benign neglect. Fifthly, legislation that mandated archival institutions to manage records through their life-cycle was not comprehensive in certain instances. Sixthly, strategies used for public programming activities were rather limited and not clearly targeted at some archival institutions. However, there was growing recognition that stakeholders were best served by the management of records throughout their life-cycle.