Browsing by Author "Kavishe, George Firmin."

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Management of electronic information resources (EIRs) to enhance their long-term links preservation and access in the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Pietermaritzburg (PMB) and Howard College campus libraries.
(2013) Kavishe, George Firmin.; Leach, Athol Brian.
The purpose of this study was to examine the management of electronic information resources (EIRs) to enhance their long-term links preservation and access in the University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg (PMB) and Howard College campus libraries. The study investigated the strategies and policies used in managing EIRs, how the librarians overcome technological obsolescence, the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructures used in the management of the EIRs and the competency of the librarians in electronic preservation. The significance of this study lay in its addressing of the issue of long-term links preservation of and access to EIRs that has not been addressed by previous studies. There is rapid growth in the creation and dissemination of EIRs which has emphasized the digital environment’s speed and ease of dissemination with little regard for its long-term preservation and access. The study population was 33 and it comprised the subject librarians, metadata librarians and electronic resources librarian of PMB and Howard College campus libraries of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Adopting a quantitative approach the research design was that of a survey and the research instrument was a self-administered questionnaire comprising both open and closed questions. A total of 28 librarians responded to the questionnaire giving a response rate of 84.8%. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Results were presented in the form of figures and tables. The study was underpinned by the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model, which is being used widelyin the digital preservation community. The analysis of the findings revealed that there was an intermediate level of ICT knowledge and skill with regard to management of EIRs amongst the respondents and a need for training in EIRs management particularly with regards to metadata, migration, emulation, maintenances and bit preservation techniques.It was also revealed that the libraries were using the server’s hard drive to store the EIRs. The results also showed that there were an arguably high number of respondents ten (35.7%) who indicated that their libraries did not have anEIRs management policy. For those respondents who said that their libraries do have a policy, the vast majority indicated that the policy did provide guidelines for acquiring materials in electronic form and for transforming materials from print to electronic form. Recommendations emerging from the conclusion were made and suggestions for further research put forward.
Recordkeeping for good governance in Tanzanian public universities.
(2023) Kavishe, George Firmin.; Garaba, Francis.
Recordkeeping is a key feature of any institution's corporate governance and is critical to its transparency and accountability. Public universities cannot operate without records because they provide the foundation for sound decision-making. Without records, it would be impossible to hold public universities accountable. Records in an institution help identify what has been done and how it was done. In other words, records serve as tools for creating trust through time and across societies. Therefore, an organization's lack of sound recordkeeping practices hinders good governance. Although recordkeeping is crucial, it is becoming a challenge in enhancing good governance in universities. The prevalence of poor recordkeeping practices in African universities raises doubts about how top management and administrators have been making informed decisions. There is a need to create awareness of the importance of recordkeeping in universities. University records should be properly maintained and secured. Unfortunately, this has not been the case in most African academic institutions, including Tanzania. Therefore, this study investigated the role of recordkeeping in promoting good governance in Tanzanian public universities. The overall objective of this study was to investigate recordkeeping for good governance in Tanzanian public universities. To achieve this objective, the present study sought to answer the following research questions: What systems and processes are used in recordkeeping in Tanzanian public universities? What recordkeeping skills and training do staff need in Tanzanian public universities? What is the role of records legislation in recordkeeping in Tanzanian public universities? What is the level of security and confidentiality control in recordkeeping in Tanzanian public universities? What interventions required to be put in place in order to address recordkeeping in Tanzania public universities? The population of this study was drawn from eight (8) Tanzanian public universities, namely Ardhi University, Mbeya University of Science and Technology, Moshi Cooperative University, Mzumbe University, Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology, the Open University of Tanzania, Sokoine University of Agriculture and University of Dar es Salaam. Purposive sampling was used to select these eight public universities. The study targeted a population of 105. Given that the population of this study is considered small, the study used a census sampling technique where all members of the population were included in the study. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect data. Questionnaires were administered to 89 records officers. To get in-depth information, a purposive sampling method was employed thereafter to select respondents from the study population for them to be interviewed. Sixteen senior officials were targeted for interviews. The records continuum model and the Information Governance Reference Model underpinned the study. A pragmatic paradigm using Mixed Methods Research with a bias towards a quantitative dominant was adopted, complemented by a qualitative follow-up. The questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data, while the interview schedule was used to collect qualitative data. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23, while qualitative data was analyzed using NVivo software version 11. The findings revealed that the level of digital recordkeeping in the surveyed public universities was below standard. The issue of funding for recordkeeping featured prominently; the budget allocated for recordkeeping activities was limited. This limited budget was prohibitive in managing records in all the universities. Recordkeeping activities such as records appraisal, storage, and access were found to be insufficient in all the universities. The study established that the university's recordkeeping laws still needed to be fully implemented. The present study also found that a shortage of recordkeeping space/storage was one of the challenges facing universities. The study findings revealed that universities faced numerous risk exposures concerning recordkeeping. They included pest infection, rodents, computer system failure, fire, unauthorized intrusion, water damage and theft. The study recommends that Tanzanian public universities follow the proposed framework steps when managing their records from creation. The proposed framework addresses the challenges elaborated in this study and, if appropriately implemented, will help Tanzanian public universities perform recordkeeping effectively.