Analysis of records preservation and conservation guidelines at National Records Centre and Archives, (NRCA)

Abstract

National Records Centre and Archives is mandated with the responsibility of preserving and conserving Uganda records and archives from government; Ministries, departments, Agencies and Local Governments that document heritage for cultural, research and historical values of Uganda as by the National Records and Archives Act, 2001. Preservation and Conservation of records is an important aspect in records and archives management that aims at prolonging the utilizable life of useful research information whether printed, handwritten or electronic using methods, techniques and skills applied to them thus protecting them from further damage. In order to savage the records and archives resources from further risk of damage and loss, the study analyzes the records preservation and conservation guidelines in the management of records centre and archives at NRCA. The specific objectives of the study were to find out the types of records preserved and conserved at NRCA, to analyze the effectiveness of existing guidelines used in records preservation and conservation, examine the challenges faced in absence of records preservation and conservation guidelines, to provide recommendations for improving records preservation and conservation and finally to design a records preservation and conservation guidelines for the Records Centre and Archives. The study was conducted in the Records Centre and Archives with a study population of ten (10) respondents namely; Archivists, Records Officers, Assistant Records Officers and other Administrators. The study adopted a qualitative research design. The tools used were Observation and interview guides and analysis was done using purposive sampling technique. The findings revealed that; types of records acquired, preserved and conserved were Historical, Administrative, Legal, personnel, and Financial. More so, the records preservation and conservation guidelines followed were cleanliness, security, risk management, access control, planning, photocopying, repairing and reformatting. The challenges faced in using existing guidelines were; inadequate funding, obsolete technology, poor government policies, inadequate staff, lack of adequate guidelines. And finally the recommendations were; adequate funding, training programs for skilled manpower enough staffing and adapting an automated standard format of guidelines for records preservation and conservation at NRCA.