Records surveys in support of a framework for managing public records in Zimbabwe

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 366-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Forget Chaterera ◽  
Patrick Ngulube ◽  
Antonio Rodrigues
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Management Programme ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Critical Function ◽  
Public Records ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Vital Records

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that records surveys are a critical function that supports a framework for managing public records. The study was motivated by the recognition that the key step in ensuring that records are properly managed on a continuing basis at each stage of the life cycle is to examine all records created and maintained by an office through, among other activities, conducting a records and information management survey. The study employed a quantitative methodology to gather data using self-administered questionnaires completed by registry supervisors working in government ministries, face-to-face interviews held with former and current National Archives of Zimbabwe archivists and records management assistants as well as content analysis of records survey reports. The findings revealed that records surveys are a strong pillar supporting the framework for managing public records in Zimbabwe. However, most public registries have not yet realized the benefits of records surveys due to the difficulties that hinder them from implementing the recommendations. The study recommends that key records management activities such as records appraisal, developing a vital records management programme and creating retention and disposal schedules may be effectively managed if the recommendations of records surveys are implemented by public registries in Zimbabwe.

scholarly journals Perceptions of public sector practitioners about records and information management surveys in zimbabwe

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-339
Author(s):  
Judith Vonai Karimanzira ◽  
Samson Mutsagondo
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Survey Research ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Public Records ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
The City

This article aims at establishing public sector records practitioners‟ perceptions about records and information management surveys which are periodically heldby the National Archives of Zimbabwe (NAZ). The urge to carry out the study emanated from the continuing poor records management practices in public sector departments in Zimbabwe despite the fact that NAZ carries out periodic records and information management surveys. This study was carried out in the City of Gweru in Zimbabwe and it employed a survey research design where data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. The study revealed that public records practitioners largely had negative perceptions about NAZ records surveys as they saw the exercise as intrusive and faultfinding. NAZ officers blamed the impasse on lack of knowledge about the importance of records and lack of professional training in records management. The study recommends that NAZ officers should be sleuth and diplomatic when conducting records surveys to promote good relations and as well, there is need for behavior change on the part of public recordspractitioners for them to develop positive perceptions about NAZ records and information management surveys.

The Management of Magistrate Courts Records in Namibia

2017 ◽  
pp. 168-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth M. Abankwah ◽  
Meameno N. Hamutumwa
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Storage Space ◽  
Air Conditioners ◽  
Classification Schemes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
National Archives

This chapter is based on a study prompted by concerns about delayed cases in Namibian magistrate courts. The purpose was to examine the prevailing records management practices. The study was conducted in seven regions which were purposively selected based on location or population. Data was collected by means of observations and face-to-face interviews. The study revealed that: some magistrate courts did not adhere to records management standards resulting in an absence of a records management policy, classification schemes, retention schedules, shortage of storage space, lack of physical security and untrained record staff. The study recommends employment of trained records personnel; staff awareness in the management of the Namibia Case Information System (NAMCIS); install CCTV and maintain air conditioners in records storage facilities; ensure that the National Archives of Namibia fast tracks the process of approving requests for transfer or destruction of magistrate courts' records; and uphold records management standards.

The Role of Archives on the Incorporation of the Former Kangwane Homeland to Mpumalanga Province

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Record Keeping ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Specific Objective ◽  
National Archives ◽  
And Control

This study was conceptualised in order to assess the strategies used to incorporate the homeland of KaNgwane into Mpumalanga province after the cessation of apartheid in 1994. The specific objective of the study was to investigate the compliance of records and archives with the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No 43 of 1996), during the incorporation of the homeland of KaNgwane into Mpumalanga. The study adopted a qualitative methodology through document analysis, interviews and observations. The key findings revealed that the archives of the former homeland of Kangwane were not aligned with the requirements of the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No.43 of 1996.) Institutions seem to lack experience when it comes to the challenges of storing records and implementing arrangement and control systems. The frequent lack of a records management policy and few to no staff with record-keeping and archival backgrounds was also a concern. A shortage of space to store records safely was also one of the major issues that the study uncovered. There appears to be no concerted effort to retain important historical records. Many records are stored in several different locations in government buildings.  I conclude that archives play an essential role to the nation as the institutional memory.

scholarly journals Information management in the Intelligence Branch of Britain’s War Office, 1873-1914: ‘All information flows toward it, or returns to it, in a form worked up into shape’

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-105
Author(s):  
Alistair Black
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
First World War ◽  
Information Flows ◽  
British Army ◽  
World War ◽  
Rational System ◽  
Strategic Intelligence ◽  
The First World War ◽  
National Archives ◽  
First World

AbstractIntelligence has always been an aspect of organized warfare. It was not until 1873, however, that the British Army recognised this formally by establishing an explicitly named unit, under the auspices of the War Office, dedicated to the development of strategic intelligence: the Intelligence Branch. Based on documents held in the National Archives (UK), this study explores the ways in which the work of the Intelligence Branch developed before the First World War in response to imperial and foreign military challenges and the growing awareness of the importance of strategic intelligence and planning. The Branch’s steam-age origins should not disguise the intensity and sophistication of the information management that underpinned its operations. Attention is paid to the type of information management methods that were employed. The existence of a rational system of information management is revealed, consisting of planned phases for the collection, processing, storage, organisation, analysis and dissemination of information.

Archiving white community historical manuscripts in postcolonial Zimbabwe

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-150
Author(s):  
Samuel Chabikwa ◽  
Nathan Mnjama ◽  
Maitseo MM Bolaane
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
White Community ◽  
Community Associations ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Historical Manuscripts

This paper is premised on the observation that mainstream archival activities are the main cause and source of the “absences and silences” of the voices of the minority and the underrepresented in the archives. The aim of the study is to explain the context and documentation strategies of archiving and preservation of Historical Manuscripts (HM) of the white community in post-colonial Zimbabwe. In particular, the study seeks to: (a) Determine the legislative, regulatory framework for the management of HM in selected cultural heritage institutions in Zimbabwe; (b) Assess the acquisition policies and practices of mainstream cultural heritage institutions in Zimbabwe; (c) Describe the usage, purposes, and accessibility of both pre-archival and archival HM of the white community. The findings of the study revealed adequate provisions in the National Archives of Zimbabwe Act (2001) for the archiving of HM of the white community in Zimbabwe, although there were limitations of outdated policies for the institutions studied. The study also addressed the issue of limited funding and shrinking budgets which impeded on the operations of both selected cultural heritage institutions and white community associations. This resulted in failure to adhere to archiving/records management standards, and the upgrading of equipment and facilities, as well as the recruitment and retention of requisite and qualified staff. Overall, this endangers the HM collections to neglect and decay. HM were migrated from Zimbabwe to other countries regionally and abroad into private hands, and their extent, nature, condition of storage and status of preservation are undetermined.

Which way records management research?

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-45
Author(s):  
Omwoyo Bosire Onyancha
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Medical Computing ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
The Social ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Scopus Database ◽  
Broad Subject

This paper evaluates the keywords and subject areas in records management (RM) publications, as indexed in the Scopus database, with a view to mapping RM research from 1971 to 2018 so as to determine the direction of research in the field. A total of 4 762 documents were obtained from the Scopus database using the term records management and searching within the title, abstract and keywords fields. The data was analysed using VOSviewer software. The findings reveal that interest in RM research has grown as the volume of publications has continued to increase. Whereas there was no dominant area of research in the 1980s, as far as RM research is concerned, the main focus in the 2010s was the management of electronic health records, thereby signalling a shift in RM research from being just an information management exercise to being used for the management of records in the medical and health sector. Other popular research areas in the 2010s were health care, electronic medical record/s, information management, medical computing, information systems, and electronic document exchange. A classification of the RM publications according to Scopus’s broad subject fields revealed that RM research is mainly conducted in computer science, engineering, medicine, and the social sciences. The study predicts a slow growth in the number of RM publications in the next ten years (2019-2028), greater focus on RM in the health sector, and continued dominance of computer-based systems and electronic records as topics of RM research.

scholarly journals Harnessing a records management programme for justice delivery at the Alice magistrate court in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 12-23
Author(s):  
Khunjulwa Ntengenyane ◽  
Festus Khayundi
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Management Programme ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Eastern Cape Province ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Microsoft Excel ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Court Records ◽  
Emerging Themes ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Methods

This article focuses on harnessing a records management programme for justice delivery at the Alice Magistrates’ court. The objectives of the study were to find the extent to which court records are managed for justice delivery, the influence of court records in court processes, and the challenges, if any, of managing court records for justice delivery. The population of the study comprised all those who created and used court records at the Alice Magistrates’ court. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection. Quantitative data were coded and analysed using Microsoft Excel 2010 while qualitative data were analysed using emerging themes based on the objectives of the study. The findings revealed that although records were important for justice delivery by the court, there were challenges posed by inadequate infrastructure, the lack of necessary knowledge and skills, ineffective control of records for justice delivery, and inadequate facilities for preservation and security of records. The study recommended improvement of the existing records management programme as a strategy. This is necessary for effective and efficient records management programme for justice delivery by the Alice Magistrates’ court.

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