Custody Of Archives Research Articles

Online harvesting of municipality websites into trusted digital repository

PurposeMunicipalities, as the front lines of service delivery, use websites as one of the tools to communicate information to the public. While it is considered a record, many organisations, including municipalities, do not manage websites as such. This study aims to explore the archiving of websites as records in the municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province in South Africa by using the web archiving life cycle model.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a mixed-methods research with an explanatory design, with quantitative data collected first through content analysis of websites and qualitative data collected through interviews. Researchers used multilevel sampling, first quantitatively analysing all available websites of the municipalities (52) in KZN, and then qualitatively selecting only records managers, information managers, web administrators, communication managers and website managers or designers from municipalities because of their understanding and involvement with websites in some way.FindingsThis study established that some records on municipal websites are often in paper format in record-keeping systems, whereas others are born digital and are not captured in the systems. Municipalities lack a dedicated web online harvesting tool as well as an archiving policy or strategy to guide website archiving. Furthermore, municipalities placed a high reliance on service providers to keep their websites operational.Research limitations/implicationsIt became clear during the interviews that most of the participants were unfamiliar with web archiving. As a result, only 12 of the 56 selected participants from the municipalities provided the required information in relation to the current study as others could not provide answers. Data for other participants were not analysed.Originality/valueDue to a lack of infrastructure for ingesting digital records into archival custody, a framework for harvesting web content of value is proposed both internally in municipalities and externally to an archive repository.

The archival colour line: race, records and post-colonial custody

ABSTRACT Using the concept of the ‘colour line,’ by which W.E.B. Du Bois named the problematic ‘relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea,’ this article argues that the ongoing custody of archives displaced to Europe during decolonization constitutes an ‘archival colour line’ that both results from and recapitulates the racism of the imperial project. The article does this by first arguing that developments in post-custodialism return significance to custody, calling into question the value of ‘digital repatriation’ and ‘joint’ or ‘shared heritage.’ Establishing the importance of archival custody, the article then considers the racialized nature of archival displacements in postcolonial contexts, drawing on data from a recent international survey. To look more closely at how such an archival colour line might be constituted, the article examines the dispossession of people from Kericho, Kenya, to illuminate three stages of archival colour line formation; the colonial setting (provenance); decolonization and the reconfiguration of economic interests (appraisal); and postcolonial archives and the momentum of reckoning (custody). The article concludes that the ongoing European custody of the records in question results from and fortifies a global racist order.

Safe havens for archives at risk: a new international initiative

Over the years, internationally-minded archivists have had to consider the possibility of taking custody of archives from another country because the archives are at risk in their country of origin. The risks may take many forms, but archives in war-zones and other disaster areas, and archives at environmental risk (including risks of climate change) provide striking examples. The removal of archives from one country to another is always likely to be controversial, however, and even well-intentioned attempts at “archival rescue” in the past have been strongly criticized. It has been clear for a long time that international standards are needed. The “Guiding Principles for Safe Havens’” for Archives at Risk are a set of principles providing guidance on archival and ethical factors to be taken into account when planning the transfer of analogue or digital archives (or copies) to another institution for safekeeping. The principles have been drawn up by a group of experts in meetings held in Berne, Amsterdam, Geneva, and virtually, over the past four years, and have been endorsed and approved by various international organizations, including several ICA Sections. Past bilateral agreements between sending institutions and hosting institutions governing “safe haven” solutions have often failed to address fundamental questions, such as data protection, access, succession solutions, obligations to return or the often asymmetrical relationship between the sending institution and the hosting institution. The need for new and definitive principles is outlined in this essay, and the “Guiding Principles” themselves are then described, explained and justified.

Integration of records management systems at a South African water utility company

Purpose Digital records are either stored in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or an electronic content management (ECM) system or managed without the benefit of either. To achieve high productivity, integration of these systems is required. However, the utilisation of either an ERP or ECM system is absent in many organisations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the development of a framework that may support the integration of an ERP into an ECM system at Rand Water. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used a case design with 14 interviewees from different levels in the organisation and diverse business units using ERP and ECM to perform their operational deliverables. Purposive sampling was used to select the interviewees in line with their area of work, role and level of operation. Findings This study established that the water utility company has implemented an ERP system (SAP) since 2004 and ECM systems since 1991 (Papertrail and later IBM FileNet) with only the information flow module integrated. This study suggested that to integrate ERP into ECM, human and non-human actors need to collaborate to ensure large-scale integration. Originality/value This study presents a framework for integrating ERP into ECM. It is suggested that an integration module for ERPs called extended ECM, be considered. A further study of the transfer of digital records in ECM into archival custody is recommended.

A Continuum of Archival Custody: Community-Driven Projects as a Path toward Equity

A Continuum of Archival Custody: Community-Driven Projects as a Path toward Equity

When rain clouds gather: Digital curation of South African public records in the cloud

Background: Many scholars lament of poor infrastructure for the management and preservation of digital records in the public sector in South Africa. For example, in South Africa, the national archives repository and its subsidiary provincial archives do not have infrastructure to ingest digital records into archival custody. As a result, digital records are left to the creating agencies to manage and preserve. The problem is compounded by the fact that very few public sector organisations in South Africa have procured systems to manage digital records. Objective: This study investigated whether government departments in South Africa entrust their records to cloud storage. The study asked the questions: How are digital records managed and stored in these organisations? Do government departments entrust their records to the cloud as an alternative storage? Method: Qualitative data were collected through interviews with purposively chosen chief information officers, records managers and IT managers from public entities that implemented e-government services, as well as officials from the National Archives and Services of South Africa, which is charged with the statutory regulatory role of records management in governmental bodies and the State Information Technology Agency, a public sector Information Communication Technology (ICT) company established in 1999 to consolidate and coordinate the state’s information technology resources. Results: The key findings suggest that although public servants informally and unconsciously save some records in the cloud, government departments in South Africa are sceptical to entrust their records in the cloud because of a number of reasons such as lack of trust in the cloud storage, jurisdiction, legal implications, privacy and security risks related to Minimum Information Security Standards, as well as lack of policy and legislative framework, specifically regarding cloud storage. Conclusion: Because of lack of infrastructure for management and preservation of digital records, for the purpose of increased storage and access, this study recommends that government departments should cautiously consider exploring the possibility of storing their records in a trusted digital repository cloud as an interim solution whilst observing legal obligations. As cloud storage is not very prevalent amongst government departments in South Africa, given the present challenges in managing digital records, it would be advantageous to have cloud storage tested rigorously before embarking on the exercise.

Mine, yours, ours: archival custody from transaction to narrative

This essay explores the archival principle of custody focusing on its evolution beyond post-custodialism. It argues that custody, while its outer trappings and shape may change, remains firmly rooted in the bedrock upon which archival theory and practice has been built. Considering many aspects of custody including stewardship and participatory custody, it introduces the concept of the 3Cs—custody, care and control—as a working model and advocates a new model going forward.

Public sector reforms: transparency and accountability in the digital environment

The international development community sees transparency and accountability as fundamental to achieving development goals. Records should play a key role in achieving these goals, but at present, data and statistics receive far more attention than do records, which barely feature on the international agenda despite their fundamental contribution to national development. The key role that records play in documenting development decisions and actions tends not to be recognised or highly valued by governments and international development agencies. This paper suggests that this is a make-or-break time for the records profession in Africa: either the fundamentally important contribution that the profession can make to all aspects of development, including accountability and transparency, will be recognised and properly resourced, or it will remain a low priority area with less and less relevance to development and in turn fewer resources being invested. Although digital records are rapidly becoming the predominant media of government communication, the structures and systems needed to protect and preserve them have not been fully developed anywhere in the region. There is a very high risk that national development will be undermined if the records issue is not properly addressed and that much of the public records now being created will never come into archival custody. The bottom line is that if the records profession wants to fulfil its function to protect and preserve evidence for citizens and society, it needs to change to meet the present realities. Focusing on how records and archives can complement data and statistics to benefit citizens and support accountability and transparency could offer the way for the national archives in the ESARBICA region to play their essential role in national and international development.

RECOVERING OLD STEREOSCOPIC NEGATIVES AND PRODUCING DIGITAL 3D MODELS OF FORMER APPEARANCES OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS

Abstract. Three-dimensional models with photographic textures have become a usual product for the study and dissemination of elements of heritage. The interest for cultural heritage also includes evolution along time; therefore, apart from the 3D models of the current state, it is interesting to be able to generate models representing how they were in the past. To that end, it is necessary to resort to archive information corresponding to the moments that we want to visualize. This text analyses the possibilities of generating 3D models of surfaces with photographic textures from old collections of analog negatives coming from works of terrestrial stereoscopic photogrammetry of historic buildings. The case studies presented refer to the geometric documentation of a small hermitage (done in 1996) and two sections of a wall (year 2000). The procedure starts with the digitization of the film negatives and the processing of the images generated, after which a combination of different methods for 3D reconstruction and texture wrapping are applied: techniques working simultaneously with several images (such as the algorithms of Structure from Motion – SfM) and single image techniques (such as the reconstruction based on vanishing points). Then, the features of the obtained models are described according to the geometric accuracy, completeness and aesthetic quality. In this way, it is possible to establish the real applicability of the models in order to be useful for the aforementioned historical studies and dissemination purposes. The text also wants to draw attention to the importance of preserving the documentary heritage available in the collections of negatives in archival custody and to the increasing difficulty of using them due to: (1) problems of access and physical conservation, (2) obsolescence of the equipment for scanning and stereoplotting and (3) the fact that the software for processing digitized photographs is discontinued.

Archival orthodoxy of post-custodial realities for digital records in South Africa

Some public entities in South Africa have implemented digital records systems over a period of 20 years. In terms of the South African archival legal framework, there is a need for such entities to transfer the records into archival custody. However, there is consensus among researchers that there is no infrastructure to ingest digital records into archival custody in South Africa. Furthermore, some public entities have migrated from one system to another since implementation and there is a possibility that records might have been lost during migration. This study demonstrates through literature review the unconscious archival orthodoxy of post-custodial realities in South Africa. The study recommends that public entities should apply for exemption from archival legislation in order to develop an interim solution for the preservation of digital records. The National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (NARSSA) is also encouraged to develop a policy on distributed custody to allow government entities to create interim solutions for preserving digital records. Both public entities and NARSSA should invest in capacity development, including training and provision of sustainable infrastructure required to preserve digital records. It is hoped that this study will influence policy-making with regard to custody of digital records.

SAFEGUARDING SOUTH AFRICA’S PORTUGUESE COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANISATIONAL RECORDS: THE QUESTION OF CUSTODY

This research article made an effort to uncover the attitudes of South African Portuguese community-based organisations in Gauteng, South Africa, towards the custody of their potential archival records and where these organisations would prefer to house any archival records they may hold. The literature reviewed revealed that community records often present community organisations that hold these records with a dilemma regarding who might take custody of their potential records if they do decide to participate in an archival collecting effort of their community. The literature also showed that archival custody options come in different forms, ranging from traditional approaches to custody of physical and legal transfer of ownership to a mainstream archive, to alternative methods often referred to as the post-custodial and stewardship approaches. Utilising an interpretive qualitative research design, similarly the empirical findings from the interviews held with the Portuguese organisations in Gauteng also revealed that these organisations’ preferences towards custody were not uniform. The results showed that any proposed archival collecting effort of the Portuguese community will have to take all their divergent views into consideration if an archival collecting strategy that facilitates the contribution of the records from all their organisations is to be achieved. It also became evident that each organisation’s preference towards the custody of their records is often contentious and therefore needs to be respected if these community records are to be preserved in the long term.

Archival Diasporas: A Framework for Understanding the Complexities and Challenges of Dispersed Photographic Collections

It is not uncommon for archival photographs to appear in multiple copies, versions, or formats. Photographs of the same provenance are often found in various locations or housed in several institutions. Format diversity, duplication, and dispersion pose profound challenges for archivists attempting to represent photographic images scattered across many institutions. This article identifies four dimensions of archival dispersion—geographical, temporal, provenancial, and material—that simultaneously act as barriers for providing consolidated representation of dispersed photographs. Understanding the context and nature of dispersion is key to effective representation of photographs in archival custody. Archival Diaspora explores the complicated nature of distributed collections.

From Record Commissions to Record Repositories: archival custody in Wales, 1800–1995

This paper aims to provide an overview of a long and complex story. It starts with the emergence of public concern for the safe custody of archives and manuscripts in Wales during the nineteenth century, including factors that governed the nature and survival of records here, the response to developments led by the Westminster government and how national identity became a major element, leading to high-profile debate and the foundation of the National Library of Wales in 1907. The second part focuses on progress towards the safe custody of local records during the twentieth century, identifying factors that are common to England and Wales, institutions that took the first steps in Wales, the part played by the National Library and libraries in the University Colleges, and the gradual emergence of a network of county record offices rather later than in England. The end point is 1995, the eve of radical local government re-organization in April 1996 and three years before devolution of government from Westminster to Wales, which included culture and heritage among the first responsibilities to be transferred. Post-1996 developments represent a third part of this story and a new century, but require separate attention.

Strategies for the preservation of electronic records in South Africa: implications on access to information

The preservation of electronic records for continued access is a majorchallenge of national archives around the globe. These records are fragile dueto the high pace of technological changes resulting in obsolescence. Therefore, the preservation of electronic records is a challenging exercise that requires appropriate preparation and strategies. In South Africa, the national and provincial archives have a mandate to preserve and make records accessible, including those which are generated electronically. This paper investigates the strategies adopted by national and provincial archival institutions in South Africa for the preservation of electronic records. A qualitative survey was conducted on existing national and provincial archival institutions in South Africa. The key findings of the study revealed a lack of infrastructure to ingest electronic records into archival custody in both national and provincial archives. The paper concludes by arguing that insufficient attention to the preservation of electronic records could lead to a future situation where access to an enormous quantity of important government records could be denied.

The Condition of the Archives

Having both worked in the hospital system for more than six years, we were very aware, anecdotally, of many of the problems associated with the disposal of administrative records in both our own hospitals and those where colleagues worked. We wanted to confirm whether what we had observed over that time was happening more widely. We wanted a profile of how each hospital dealt with its permanent and temporary administrative records as well as those in archival custody, and who was managing them. We have intentionally excluded medical records as they are a specialised sub-group managed by well established departments with trained staff. The hospitals will remain unidentified as it will serve no useful purpose to 'point the finger' at any one of them and we felt that we would elicit more candid responses if the people we spoke to were assured of confidentiality. We hope, with the following results, that we can present you with a Snapshot' of current practices in the hospitals we surveyed. We hope also that it will be a starting point for a more detailed study in the future. Whilst we will comment throughout on our observations, we hope that you will largely draw your own conclusions from our findings.