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Digitization of Archival Records: the Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service Experience. Ppt
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Namande, Ben Wekalao |
| Copyright Year | 2012 |
| Abstract | The Kenya National Archives was established in 1965 by an Act of Parliament to provide custody, among other functions, to public and private records of enduring value. It is worth noting that some information resources at the Kenya National Archives were created as early as the 17th century. Some of these old materials have since deteriorated as a result of both environmental and biological dangers and become fragile, brittle and discoloured. This situation highlights the need for long-term availability of such resources. This paper is a sojourn in the digitization endeavours at the Kenya National Archives. It shows what has been done and the challenges that have been experienced. Despite the four-phase attempt to digitize over 680 million pages of records, the process has experienced myriad challenges those of particularly inadequate human capital and financial resources. Digital information centres: an overview A digital information centre is an information facility in which collections are managed in digital formats (as opposed to print, microform or any other media) and are accessible by computer. The digital content may be stored locally or remotely and accessed remotely via computer networks. A digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats (as opposed to print, microform, or other media) and accessible by computers. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks. In a nutshell, a digital information centre is one in which a significant proportion of resources is available in machine readable formats as opposed to print or microform, and is accessible by means of computers. Background The concepts “digital” or “electronic” libraries are not really new. It may be recalled that Lancaster wrote extensively on the paperless society and on electronic library developments in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The development of digital libraries could be said to have been started by the National Library of Medicine at Bethesda, in the United States, with its use of computer controlled photo composition or computer typesetting in the production of Index Medicus in 1964. This was a transitional phase in evolution from print to paper to electronics. Digital resources have greatly changed the way in which libraries function as information centres. With the transformation from traditional print collections into versatile electronic Second International Conference on African Digital Libraries and Archives (ICADLA-2) Namande 2 resources, information including full text, can now be accessed from laboratories, offices and home 24 hours a day. Requirements for a digital information service The development of a digital information service involves: digitization of existing library materials; integration with networking; connectivity to the user in the world online and offline; and availability on the World Wide Web. To achieve these, the following are important: Technical architecture The first requirement that underlies any digital information system is that of the technical architecture. According to Chepsesuik (1997), libraries will need to enhance and upgrade current technical architectures to accommodate digital materials. The architecture comprises components such as: High-speed local networks and fast connections to the internet; Relational databases that support a variety of digital formats; Full text search engines to index and provide access to resources; A variety of servers, such as Web and FTP servers; Electronic document management functions that will aid in the overall management of digital resources; Hardware: desk tops, hard discs, UPS, printers, scanners. Trained staff With the introduction of the digital age, the library and information profession has assumed new trends and therefore library and information professionals have to keep themselves abreast with current technology. According to Sharma (2001) librarians must prepare themselves for the transformation from an era of scientific management to systems and structural management. Tennant (2006) asserts ... we need an agile, imaginative, and engaged staff. We need people who are not afraid of jettisoning traditional activities in favor of new ones. We must have people who can learn constantly, foster change, and create new kinds of collections and services. Some of these people are in our buildings; others will need to be hired. We must train, support and encourage them. Digital software Once one has an idea of how a digital information centre should work, it is important to select some software. If a particular piece of software can meet the requirements, this is good; if it cannot there are three options: customize the software to meet your needs, find a different piece of software, or adjust your requirements. Some level of customization is to be expected in any digital project. Someone with reasonable experience with Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) and style sheets should be able to achieve this. More complex customization requires more time, effort, and skill. Weigh those against the value added and the resources available. Second International Conference on African Digital Libraries and Archives (ICADLA-2) Namande 3 Building collections in digital format One of the most important requirements for creating digital information resources is the building of digital collections. For any digital information centre to be viable, it must eventually have a digital collection with the critical mass to make it truly useful. There are essentially three methods of building digital collections: digitization, converting paper and other media in existing collections to digital form; acquisition of original digital works created by publishers and scholars (born digital), (example items would be electronic books, journals, and data sets); access to external materials not held in-house by providing pointers to web sites, other library collections or publishers’ servers. Why digital information centres? In the ideal digitized information environment, the following features of added value may be realized: Multiple access to information. The same resources can be used simultaneously by a number of institutions and patrons. Digital libraries provide a faster method of accessing and exchanging information in all sectors such as research, scholarship, medicine, government services and business. Resource sharing. Digital information can easily be shared and therefore is available to everybody, as opposed to conventional information materials which require expensive duplication of material in order to meet the needs of many users. Remote access. Digital libraries can make it possible to provide everybody, even those in the remotest parts of the Africa, with information in its most up-to date form. With a link to the information superhighway, libraries in the region, even the smallest and the remotest, can serve as a gateway to local as well as global information. Increased accessibility. Digital libraries are available on a 24 hour basis from anywhere in the world, offering flexible arrangements for students, researchers, scholars and the community. Digital libraries can be widespread and accessed as full text from any location or workstation. Information retrieval. The user is able to use any search term (word, phrase, title, name, and subject) to search the entire collection. Digital libraries can provide very user-friendly interfaces, giving clickable access to resources. Preservation and conservation. Digitization is not a long term preservation solution for physical collections, but does succeed in providing access to copies for materials that would otherwise fall into degradation from repeated use. Added value. Certain characteristics of objects, primarily the quality of images, may be improved. Digitization can enhance legibility and remove visible flaws such as stains and discoloration. Space. Whereas traditional libraries are limited by storage space, digital libraries have the potential to store much more information simply because digital libraries require very little physical space to contain them and media storage technologies are more affordable than ever before. The cost of maintaining a digital library is also much lower Second International Conference on African Digital Libraries and Archives (ICADLA-2) Namande 4 than that of traditional library, since a traditional library must spend large sums of money paying for staff, book maintenance, rent, and additional books. Digital libraries do away with these costs. It is important to note here that until the project is fully realized, KNA&ADS cannot be measured against these advantages. Digitizing records at Kenya National Archives and Documentation services (KNA&DS) Goal: To digitally preserve content and context of archival records and other endangered publications for purposes of access and dissemination. Objectives: Develop institutional digital information infrastructure to ensure preservation and longevity of archival information resources; Develop online Record Search databases where researchers are able to submit requests for records; Offer multiple, faster and cheaper access to resources, reference processes and resource sharing. Justification for the project: The core function of any archival institution is to ensure long-term preservation of valuable records for posterity. Consequently, the major objectives of the KNA&DS include ensuring that the records in its collection are accessible to all those who need to use them, irrespective of where they live. This is a challenge because the collection is large (several shelf kilometres) and not all potential users have access to our Reading/Search Room. In addition, most researchers use the Archives online catalogue, accessed on the KNA&DS website, to identify records that are most useful for their research. They must then: visit the Search |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10539/11522/Namande%20-%20Digitization%20of%20archival%20records%20KNA&DS.pdf;jsessionid=E445433EA66EEECC74240F27B2BC98BB?sequence=1 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
