A framework for digital archiving at selected public universities in Kenya.

Abstract

Archival records are knowledge assets that preserve the overall historical scholarship, memory and identity of organisations and institutions of higher learning. The rapid transformations witnessed on the digital landscape today have led to the increased generation of digital records, prompting the growing interest by universities to adopt sustainable digital archiving implementations to ensure the continued access of archives. This research investigated digital archives management practices in selected public universities in Kenya. The objective of the study was to develop a digital archiving framework for the archival repositories at the institutions. To achieve this objective, the study sought to answer five research questions which were: what is the state of digital archiving readiness of public universities in Kenya? How are digital archives identified and administered in Kenyan public universities? Which legal and regulatory frameworks govern digital archives management in Kenyan public universities? Which risk factors are digital archives exposed to in these universities? What possible solutions can be adopted to mitigate the identified risks and support sustainable digital archiving implementations in Kenyan public universities? The study subscribed to the pragmatic school of thought which formed the basis for adopting a mixed methods approach that prompted the use of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, with a qualitative priority. The study was underpinned by the records continuum (RC) model, Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference model and the Archives and Records Management Association (ARMA) Records Management Maturity model which were triangulated to coin a conceptual framework for the study. The study adopted a multiple-case (embedded) design using cross-sectional survey. Six universities were purposively selected from 23 fully accredited public universities in Kenya namely: the University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Moi, Kenyatta, Maseno and Egerton Universities. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 205 respondents comprising of deputy vice-chancellors, finance officers, legal officers, ICT directors, archivists, records managers, records officers, ICT staff and administrative staff. Questionnaires were administered to 169 respondents; 36 participants were targeted for interviews, and document review was used to confirm the data. Quantitative data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and presented using inferential and descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was analysed thematically using NVivo and presented using charts, graphs and tables as applicable. The key findings suggested that public universities in Kenya have not attained the desired optimal state of readiness for digital archiving. This was evidenced by the absence of functional archival repositories in five of the universities, insufficient harnessing of the available ICTs for d-archiving, inadequate skilled and competent staff, low prioritization for the education and training of recordkeeping staff and absence of dedicated budgets for records and archives management functions in the institutions. Furthermore, there were no formal processes guiding the lifecycle management of digital records and the generated metadata. The situation was exacerbated by weak and/or non-existent legal and regulatory frameworks for recordkeeping at national and institutional levels. Subsequently, digital records were exposed to risks at various stages of their lifecycle which included records technology risks, legal and regulatory risks, administrative risks and records control risks. The risks further occasioned a cocktail of challenges that called for urgent interventions. The overall conclusion of the study was that even though the institutions have instigated various approaches and strategies to mitigate the identified risks, a lot needed to be done to improve the state of digital archives management in the universities. Taking into consideration the study findings, this research recommends a framework for digital archiving that brings into perspective a collaborative approach, whose core focus is to enhance d-archiving practices in archival repositories of collaborating institutions.