Digital preservation maturity at the office of the Prime Minister of Namibia
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Date
2023
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
Digital preservation involves actions that are aimed at making sure that digital records remain accessible for as long as they are needed. In order to assure the effective long-term preservation of digital records, certain standards and best practices have to be met and adhered to. Assessing the effectiveness of digital preservation is crucial, particularly for organisations that are in the business of digital preservation. This study investigated and assessed the extent to which digital preservation is carried out in the context of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) of Namibia. A qualitative case study was the appropriate design for the study. The population of this study consisted of individuals that were involved in the entire process of the preservation of electronic records with long-term or permanent values, specifically staff members of the EDRMS department and the OPM at large. At the time of conducting the study, the OPM had a total of three hundred and eighty-seven (387) staff members. A census sampling technique was applied to include all seven (7) members of the EDRMS Department. Using the snowball technique, the Head of Archive referred the researcher to two (2) staff members from each of the twelve (12) departments, bringing the total sample to thirty-one (31). This study made use of semi-structured interviews and observation as the data collection methods and these were supplemented by document reviews. The collected data collected were analysed through content analysis. Among others, the main findings of the study include the unavailability of a digital preservation policy and strategy, formal information governance, collaboration framework, and written agreements with users and producers. The study also found that the institution did not provide extra training to its staff members and as such, they did not have specialised and professional technical expertise. ii The study recommended that the OPM should implement a Digital Preservation Policy and invest in collaboration, training and grooming of specialised professional technical expertise.
Description
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Records and Archives Management) of the University of Namibia
Keywords
Digital preservation capability maturity model, Digital preservation, Digital preservation repository, Records management, Electronic Documents and Records Management System