Challenges of digitization of the National Archives of Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the current state, prospects and challenges in digitizing archival collections at the National Archives of Nigeria. The research adopted a qualitative research method. The case study research strategy was considered appropriate for the study. Data was gathered through observation and interviews. Interviews were conducted with six professionals, mostly heads of departments, out of the 40 archival staff at the Department of National Archives, Ibadan. The study revealed that even though the institution claimed to have embarked on a digitization programme in 2003 and reports have been published about an ongoing digitization project, most of the collections are currently not being digitized. Respondents admitted that digitization would be highly beneficial to the institution, but issues such as lack of funding, lack of digitization policy and lack of trained personnel are the major challenges facing the digitization project. The research deals with the contextual and local nature of digitization and brings to the fore the importance of digitizing the collections of the National Archives of Nigeria. The findings and recommendations of this study should be useful to policy makers and all stakeholders including the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Keywords

archives digitization national archives Nigeria

Introduction

Advanced countries such as Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and United States of America, among others, have invested much in information technology and digitization of archival materials (Conway, 2010; McKay, 2003; Bishoff, 2007; Hedstrom, 2001). Webb and Jones (1998), cited in Woodyard (2000: 1), posited that “Australia has been seriously examining digital preservation issues since at least 1994”. The archival sector has contributed greatly to the process of digitization and preservation through a vast array of digital projects in Australia (Vajcner, 2008) Their solid background in preservation of traditional documentary records on a long-term basis has enhanced the handling or processing of digital resources (Singh, 2008: 119)

However, the situation in Africa is different, because less value is placed on archives due to lack of appreciation and understanding of digitization of archival materials and preservation strategies (UNESCO, 2006; Kamatula, Mnkeni-Saurombe and Mosweu, 2013; Groenewald and Breytenbach, 2011) South Africa is leading other African countries by investing in the digitization of archives through the Digital Innovation South Africa (DISA) initiative funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (Pickover M, 2010; Britz and Lor, 2004). Information professionals must be prepared to adopt new trends in the use of technology to perform their functions in order to keep up with current trends (Asogwa, 2011: n.p.).

Department of National Archives, Ibadan, Nigeria

This study focuses on the Department of National Archives, Ibadan which was set up in 1954 and was formerly known as the Nigerian Records Office. It is the repository of both the old and current records of the Government of Nigeria, which are held in trust for the use of interested members of the general public, administrators and scholars. The Nigerian Records Office was established due to the recommendation and tireless effort of Kenneth Onwuka Dike, who showed much concern about the state in which public records were preserved in Nigeria. It was commissioned on 9th January, 1959.

The National Archives of Nigeria is one of the 18 Departments under the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture with its headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria and zonal offices in Ibadan, Kaduna and Enugu. There are 10 additional branches located in Abeokuta, Akure, Benin, Calabar, Ilorin, Jos, Owerri, Port Harcourt and Sokoto with headquarters in Lagos. The institution is responsible for the regulation of archival administration and records management in Nigeria (public and private) The institution currently operates within the provisions of the National Archives Act of 1992.

Statement of problem

Based on preliminary investigations by the researcher, it was observed that the National Archives of Nigeria (Ibadan) holds vital historical records. Some of these records have been badly affected by agents of deterioration such as atmospheric conditions, environmental, biological and human factors. A lot of records are also on the verge of being lost due to the rate at which they are deteriorating, and need to be properly preserved. The effect is that if these vital documents (which usually do not have duplicates) are lost, gaps will be created in the collections. Digitization is a viable option that can help create back-up documents, enhance preservation by reducing handling of these documents and enhance fast and easy access to the records.

The vision statement of the Department states that it intends to ensure permanent custody, care and control of the nation’s archives using the best modern technology. The Mission Statement also supports this and clearly states the digitization of archives as one of the missions of the Department. Digitization of its collections started in 2003. Lafinhan’s report stated that the National Archives of Nigeria has succeeded in digitizing sensitive and endangered materials, and that the collections are available and accessible to the public on the institution’s website (Lafinhan 2009: 8) Ekoja and Gbaje (2012) reaffirmed this by stating that the National Archives of Nigeria is involved in digitization and digital preservation of their collection. However, the researcher discovered during the process of this work that most of the materials currently held by the establishment are not digitized.

Adoption of modern archival technologies like digitization of its collection is vital to achieving the objectives of the National Archives of Nigeria. Despite the fact that digitization of the archives is capable of improving access to and preservation of records (Matusiak and Johnston, 2014; Astle and Muir, 2002; Hamooya and Njobvu, 2009; Bayissa, Ketema and Birhanu, 2010), the establishment has not recorded much progress in the digitization of the collection. Based on this background, this study examined the challenges and prospects of digitizing the collection of the Department of National Archives, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Objectives of the study

The general objective of the study is to examine the challenges in digitizing archival records at the National Archives of Nigeria. The following are the specific objectives of the study:

To highlight the types and current state of the records in the archives.

To ascertain the level of digitization, if any.

To identify the challenges of digitization in the establishment.

To identify strategies to overcome the challenges of digitization.

Literature review

According to a report by Kenney et al. (2005) the processes of digitization may include printed materials or works of art scanned from documents, manuscripts, movies and photographs or digital snapshots of a scene. Digitization requires the conversion of a material available in analog format into a digital medium by scanning or taking photographs of the materials and transferring it into a digital medium.

The concept of digitized archival collections therefore refers to both archival collections generated electronically, and creation and conversion of analog materials to digital format (Radick, 2013; Namande, 2012; Asogwa, 2011) Such analog materials are generated from the daily activities of an establishment and made accessible to users through the aid of digital technologies. One of the major advantages of having digital archives is the fact that digital files can be accessed or transferred through the use of computer networks (Namande, 2012) Millions of users can have access to these files online via the Internet regardless of their locations, and copies can be made several times without degradation of the contents being copied.

Some institutions around the world have successfully digitized their collections and materials. Examples are the National Gallery in London and the British Library, where digitized collections and materials can be accessed on their websites. An American website (http://www.hti.umich.edu) where a large volume of books and materials about the continent can be searched for specific information is another good example. Likewise, The American Memory Page of the Library of Congress, which hosts a webpage for listening to recordings created by Thomas Edison. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an archival research center and it has developed a comprehensive digital collection of archival materials to ensure that the collections are accessible through the Archival Research Catalogue which is an online catalogue of NARA’s holdings accessible on http://www.archives.gov/. NARA (2008) pointed out that the archival holdings are more than 10 billion pages of unique documents, many of which are handwritten and include different formats such as charts, maps, aerial and still photographs, artifacts, and motion picture, sound, and video recordings. The DISA and ALUKA projects are major digitization initiatives in the southern Africa region (Saunders, 2005; Biyela, Oyelude and Haumba, 2016) The website http://stardata.nrf.ac.za has a list of digitization initiatives in South Africa with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. These include heritage and archival materials in different institutions across South Africa.

Digitization projects involve many other issues and activities: selection and preparation of collection materials, copyright clearance, creation of metadata, provision of a delivery mechanism and implementation of digital preservation strategies for the digital images (Youngs 2001: 6).

The issue of digitization as a means of preserving materials has generated a lot of debate by scholars and researchers. Some support the idea while others do not. Matusiak and Johnston (2014: 242) pointed out that at the initial stage, digitization was not considered as a form of preservation in the preservation community. It was rather viewed as an approach for creating surrogates for access and reproduction.

Astle and Muir (2002), supporting digitization, posited that it is important to note that digitization affords archives and libraries the opportunity to place original material in appropriate archival and secure storage areas, to which access can be justifiably restricted by making digital surrogates available. This restriction would drastically reduce the risk of damage from unnecessary handling, exposure to light and theft. The study concluded that widespread preservation as a major benefit of digitization does not appear to be widely supported by subsequent actions in public libraries and archives. According to them, digitization improves preservation in two ways, which are reduced demand for originals, and access restrictions, but these have not been universally seen or adopted. They discovered that despite digitization in libraries and archives, demand for access to original material does not necessarily decline and recommended that libraries and archives should therefore consider placing restrictions on access to original materials where appropriate. The point being made is that, even though preservation is a potential benefit of digitization, restricting access to original material after digitization does not happen automatically. It requires a well-planned and strategized action by the library and archives which may take some time.

Previous studies supporting digitization pointed out that one of the main reasons for digitizing archival materials is to reduce handling and use of fragile and heavily used originals (Hamooya and Njobvu, 2009; Bayissa, Ketema and Birhanu, 2010; Sigauke and Nengomasha, 2011) However, other studies, such as those by Smith (1999), Gertz (2007) and Kleifeld (2010), have argued against digitization as a preservation method. Smith (1999) emphasized that it provides a lot of access to materials but is not yet a preservation method. Some years later, Gertz (2007) expressed a similar opinion, but added that digitization can aid preservation by protecting fragile and valuable analog materials from additional handling. Gertz also acknowledges that a digital copy of material can serve as the only record of an object that deteriorates or is being destroyed, but is still maintaining that it is a form of duplication, not preservation. Kleifeld (2010) believes that digitization can never successfully replace conservation. They added that microfilm resources and digitization strategies should be combined for collective achievement of objectives related to the preservation and access of records.

Digitization, which generally involves developing a digital surrogate of unique and fragile archival materials, prevents the original from damage caused by frequent handling of materials. The creation and use of digital materials is capable of reducing the wear and tear which are usually caused in the process of handling old or fragile materials; this is done with the hope of extending the lifespan of the original (Jones, 2001)

Other advantages of digitization are in the areas of administration, education and research (Asogwa, 2011), improved access (Mutula, 2014; Asogwa, 2011; Bashiru, 2010), facilitation of legal and judicial processes (IRMT, 2002), and preservation (Akintunde and Anjo, 2012; Astle and Muir, 2002; Bayissa, Ketema and Birhanu, 2010); British Library, 2012), among others. A collaborative digitization project between academic institutions in different parts of the world is capable of increasing the scholarly value of source materials, thereby enhancing education (Asogwa, 2011).

Despite these advantages offered by digitization, it is important to admit that digitization comes with a high financial burden (Astle and Muir, 2002; Granger, 2000) Also, the authenticity and reliability of materials may be difficult to establish due to errors which may occur during capturing of the orignal documents (Le Roux, 2015; Smith, 1999) According to Le Roux (2015: 2), “there is always the possibility during large digitisation projects that errors or data loss can happen”. The process of reformatting could have a negative effect on the digitized materials, and this could lead to permanent loss of important information (Smith, 1999) She added that the authenticity and integrity of images, database or text in digital format may be difficult to verify, which may pose serious ethical implications in certain academic disciplines and professional practices. The issue of authenticity and integrity may arise as a result of the infiltration of certain digital technologies which may be used to alter digital information. However, Bee (2008), believes that the authenticity and reliability of digitized materials can be maintained if digital preservation processes are diligently followed.

Technological obsolescence is another major disadvantage of digitization (Perry, 2014; Le Roux, 2015) The reformatting process could cause irreversible loss of vital records or information which is irreplaceable (Smith, 1999).

Digitization as a preservation method has been gradually accepted in libraries and archives round the world. The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) endorsed it for preservation in a document published in 2004 (Arthur et al., 2004) This was a new development and was considered as a turning point in the debate of digitization as a means of preservation, although the paper focused on paper-based materials (Arthur et al., 2004) The Preservation Reformatting Division of the Library of Congress, in a report published in 2012, considered digital reformatting technique for archival materials which are at risk among other options, such as paper facsimile copies and microfilm. The Endangered Archives Program (EAP) in the British Library also supports digitization as “preserved means of copying” of archival materials that are in danger of physical deterioration of possible destruction. This recommendation is considered particularly relevant in developing countries where other preservation methods, such as microfilming, may not be readily available. It was pointed out that digitization has increased the awareness of preservation and conservation issues and this has made it possible to create copies of endangered archival and library materials worldwide (British Library, 2012).

Methodology

This research adopted a qualitative research method anchored on the interpretivist paradigm. The case study was used due to the weakness of the quantitative method in studying such an institution closely. It was also necessary to develop new knowledge and gain better understanding of the situation of the institution. The Department of National Archives, Ibadan was selected because it was the first National Archives and remains the most functional and the oldest in Nigeria. It holds historical records from the 19th century to date. Therefore studying the archives is considered an appropriate case study.

The population of this study comprised the staff of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture. However, the case study was the Department of National Archives Ibadan. Thus, the archival staff of the National Archives of Nigeria, Ibadan, constituted the sample of the study. There are 40 archival staff at the National Archives of Nigeria (Ibadan) Two out of the 40 archival staff are part of the management of the organization while the other 38 are classified as support staff. The researchers adopted the purposive sampling technique to select six professionals who are Heads of Departments in the institution. This technique was adopted to select the respondents with the anticipation of gaining insight on the challenges of digitization at the institution. These individuals were also selected due to their perceived understanding, knowledge and position of the subject matter being researched. Data collected was mainly through observation and interviews. All the professionals selected for the study were interviewed.

Face-to-face interviews were held with six key officers at the National Archives of Nigeria (Ibadan) namely, the Principal Archivist, Head of State Repository, Head of Special Archives, Head of Reference Room, Head of ICT and a Senior Archivist. The interviews were conducted in order to answer the research questions to meet the objectives of the study. Interviews were conducted in English and each interview ranged between 30 minutes and one hour. The researcher used a tape recorder to record the interviews which were later transcribed and organized them into topics for the analysis.

The institution was also observed to find out types of records held by the institution, the current state of digitization and the prospects of digitization in the institution. This was done to complement the data collected through the interview and helped the researcher to have a better understanding of the context and phenomenon being studied. An observation checklist was used as a guide to collect information from the institution.

Findings

The findings are presented below. Six key staff at the Department of National Archives, Ibadan were interviewed and they are named interviewee A, B, C, D, E, F in order to hide their true identities.

Type of records held by the National Archives of Nigeria

The National Archives of Nigeria (Ibadan) holds records of enduring value. These records are all over 25 years old, and they include:

Official records from the 19th century to date, such as records from the Chief Secretary’s Office (CSOs) dated back to 1849 and intelligence reports.

Provincial, Divisional and District Office papers (of the former Colony and Protectorate of Lagos, the former Western Region, and the former Mid-West State Region).

Nigeria Gazette from 1903 to date.

Photographs of pre and post-colonial activities in Nigeria.

Newspaper publications from 1859.

Company records, individual and family papers.

Missionary rsocieties and bursaries (Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society Papers, Roman Catholic Mission Papers of Benin Diocese, Church Missionary Society of both Niger and Yoruba Mission).

Maps showings geographical boundaries in Nigeria and old Currencies Collection.

Other Records such as the Civil War Bulletin, pamphlets, books and speeches. King’s College, United Africa Company papers and National Africa Company and Royal Niger Company.

All these records are classified into four groups and are stored in different repositories for proper management and preservation. These groups of records are Federal Records, State Records, Special Records and Anthropological Records. Each repository is managed by a Head who oversees its activities and makes sure that records are preserved and secured from threats such as damage and possible stealing of materials by individuals (both within and outside the institution).

The collections of the National Archives of Nigeria (Ibadan) are considered very important to the existence of Nigeria because of their intrinsic and enduring values (such as historical, legal and fiscal values).

Present state of the records

The present state of records in the repositories of the Department of National Archives, Ibadan is poor. Records are currently being preserved in boxes which protect them from deterioration from dust and light. According to Interviewee C,

due to the damages caused by humidity and broken down air conditioning system which is supposed to control the temperature-humidity in the storage area, the records are deteriorating very very fast.

He added that

insects have also eaten deep into some of these records and this has made them unfit for searchers’ use. The records are also currently being exposed to threats such as mold and discoloration.

Present state of digitization

The findings revealed that records are partially digitized. Although, a digitization project was initiated by the National Archives of Nigeria in 2003, the project is currently on hold for certain factors such as lack of funds. Digitization of the collection was considered to be in its primary or preparatory stage. Interviewee A pointed out that

the scanner which we bought and used for the purpose of digitizing some of the collections broke down some time ago. Experts from Germany were required to fix the machine but when we contacted them about the problem, they told us that the scanner was obsolete and they were unable to help us repair it.

Interviewee E confirmed this and added that

we did not have financial resources to purchase a new one at that time so we have not had the scanner replaced since then.

Another reason was attributed to change of management. According to Interviewee F

we had a Director who was interested in digitizing the collection of the National Archives and embarked on the project but due to the appointment of a new Director, the project suffered a setback but the Director who assumed office in 2014 has shown interest in the continuation of the digitization project [and] is very ready to work hard towards making sure that the collections in the institution are fully digitized.

Interviewee C added that

before the project was stalled, some documents from the CSO group such as Intelligence Reports, Assessment Reports, Annual and Quarterly Reports were digitized.

None of the records in the State Repository are currently digitized; they still remain in the manual format.

However, there seems to be a plan to fully digitize the collections and it is being captured in the budget of the institution even though, as at the time of interview with respondents, funds had not been released for the project. According to Interviewee C,

we are currently in the process of arranging manual records in order to put them in a proper state after which we will take the records to the ICT department for scanning and digitization.

The institution has made efforts to record the total number of collections with their subject matter. According to Interviewee E

we have been developing software which would be very useful in the management of the records when fully digitized and they are expected to be made available on the internet so that we can attract more users who can have easy access to them from anywhere in the world.

Even though there was an attempt to digitize the collection of the Department of National Archives, Ibadan in the past, it was obvious that the project had been abandoned and it is being started all over again due to financial constraints and change in management. The Director has plans for digitization of the collections in the institution.

Prospects and benefits of digitization

The state of readiness of digitization of collections at the Department of National Archives, Ibadan suggests that even though they claim to have once embarked on a digitization exercise and hope to continue soon, the institution is currently not ready to digitize its collections. The institution currently has resources such as modern computers, but broken down digitization equipment which needs replacement.

This shows that the institution needs to make good use of these computers and purchase new digitization equipment such as scanners to enable them continue with the project. It is impossible to embark on a digitization project without making provision for the required tools. The prospects of digitization of the collections will enable the institution improve and expand its services and also help establish collaboration with other institutions and clients on a global scale through computer networks.

The Department of National Archives, Ibadan has a lot to benefit from digitizing its collections. Some of the potential benefits for the institution include the following:

easy research

serves as backup to collection

reduced handling of original materials

networking of the Archives

speedy online access to the materials

preservation of the collection.

The findings revealed that all the respondents admitted that digitization of the collection would help the institution perform better in the area of preservation and service delivery. According to Interviewee B:

one of the major benefits of digitization is enhanced access to our records.

The digitization of the collection has the benefit of making research easier. Interviewee D pointed out that

if the search aids are available online, research and consultation will be easier for searchers. They can even have access to the collection from the comfort of their homes or anywhere in the world.

Interviewee B added that

digitization of our collection will make repository work easier and the access to records will also be faster.

The study also reveals that the National Archives of Nigeria can benefit from creating a network with other archives within and outside Nigeria to facilitate the easy exchange of simple lists or exchange of information and filling of gaps in the collection. Interviewee F affirms this by declaring that

the online access or enquiry of records can save searchers’ time, money and the risk of travelling from various destinations within and outside Nigeria.

Interviewee D added that

making materials such as Simple Lists and Abstracts of our records available on the web will create make the public aware of our collection and this will most likely increase patronage by the public.

Digitization of the collections will also help preserve and secure certain records which may be in a fragile condition and are being frequently consulted, by reducing the physical handling of such records. According to interviewee F,

back-up for original collections is possible in case of disaster, loss of records or deterioration.

Interviewee A added that

if we can make digital copies of records available to our patrons, it will help reduce pressure on original copies of some of our materials that are heavily used and this will help prolong the life span of such materials.

Challenges of digitization

Despite the potential benefits that digitization tends to offer the Department of National Archives, Ibadan, the study found some pressing challenges being faced in the attempt to digitize the collections. These are similar to the challenges faced in some other African countries (Hamooya and Njobvu, 2010; Sigauke and Nengomasha, 2011; Mudzaki, 2013; Namande, 2012) Some of these challenges are also experienced in some advanced countries (Astle and Muir, 2002; Bültmann et al, 2006).

Lack of funding

The findings revealed that the main problem faced by the digitization project embarked upon by the organization was lack of funds. There were inadequate funds to purchase the required equipment for digitization. Interviewee C said that

the only equipment we have at our disposal is currently out of use and we cannot get it repaired in future.

Interviewee A added that they

cannot afford to train staff at the moment and they need to be trained in order for them to update their skills and be ready for the new development.

Staffs need training so as to acquire certain skills to help them utilize the equipment to enhance their various functions in a digitized environment.

Lack of skilled personnel

On the other hand, another challenge preventing the National Archives of Nigeria (Ibadan) was shortage of ICT personnel. Digitization requires the use of information technology equipment like computers, scanners, databank, servers, etc, which require the expertise of computer experts in the ICT department. The management of the digitized collections was handled by the ICT personnel of the organization but is presently facing problems due to shortage of ICT personnel. The ICT department is currently understaffed with less than five qualified ICT personnel.

Poor manual record system

It was discovered that in the initial attempt to digitize the collection at the institution, records from the 1800s and those of the colonial administration such as records generated from the Chief Secretary’s offices (CSOs), reports (annual, half-yearly, quarterly), intelligence reports, and gazettes were selected first. The institution intends to digitize historical Records and other important and fragile records which are frequently consulted by searchers to improve access to these records. Interviewee D said that

poor manual system currently in place is a problem we are dealing with here.

This is because the collection must be well organized for any meaningful digitization process to take place.

Lack of interest by management

The study revealed that management was also a constraint from full digitization of the collections. Two of the respondents made this clear in the interactions. Some of the management issues were lack of proper planning and determination to digitize the collection due to lack of understanding of the real concept of digitization. Even though management claimed they had plans to fully digitize, their approach, and lack of will really affected the project. Interviewee B pointed out that

funding is not the major problem, I believe management is also a problem because funds are made available for other projects but when it comes to projects such as digitization they claim there are no funds. If management can try to take the issues of digitization more seriously, it is possible to make sure that the project is funded.

Some government officials who are mostly politicians do not also understand or know the importance of the National Archives of Nigeria and the collections so funds are not readily made available for the Institution to facilitate projects such as the digitization of the collections.

Lack of proper planning/digitization policy

Interviewee B declared that at the time of the interview

there is no digitization policy currently in place to guide us on the type and nature of records to select for digitization and order in which they will be selected but the management is currently planning to come up with a draft on the digitization policy to guide our digitization program.

Initially the Technology Acceptance Model was used as a guide to determine the acceptance level of the digitization initiative by the institution but it was discovered that the issue is not solely about technology acceptance by the staff, but resource allocation by the government.

Expectation from future digitization

The findings revealed that expectations from future digitization of collections are very high. Interviewee B believes that digitization

will be very helpful to us in preserving our records and we will be able to provide fast and easy access to records.

Interviewee A also noted that digitization of the collection

will make our work easier because we will be able to perform our functions more effectively and with ease.

Digitization of the collection is also expected to save space and elongate the lifespan of records by reducing handling. The respondents seemed to be theoretically familiar with the potentials of digitization to the organization. According to Interviewee F:

I have read about modern technologies that can help us improve our operations in this institution, and digitization is one of such major technologies.

They believed that digitization of the collection is capable of replacing certain manual operations to avoid repetitive tasks and difficult procedures can be simplified by digitizing the collections. They believed that digitization can increase patronage of services rendered in the Search Room and enhance income generation for the institution. The Search Room is also expected to expand beyond the boundaries of the National Archives of Nigeria and be placed on the Internet where digitized collections will be made available to a larger group of researchers. This will not only gain high local and international recognition for the institution but will also serve as a source of financial benefit for the institution. Interviewee D noted that

the digitization of all our collection will definitely serve as a backup for our manual or paper based records.

Conclusion

This paper has established that lack of funding is the major issue confronting the Department of National Archives, Ibadan. Lack of a digitization strategy as revealed in the study and previous studies could also poses a major challenge regardless of the funds invested in the digitization project. Legislations and policies on the digitization of archives seem to be non-existent. Technophobia by long serving staff/professionals is also perceived as a challenge due to the fact that a professional used to handling manual records might be unwilling to adopt the new technology because of the fear of being a novice in digitized archival technologies. This puts the digitization efforts at risk as certain professionals might not encourage the initiative and perceive it as a threat to their jobs or even their egos, which can frustrate any digitization initiative in a developing country like Nigeria.

However, despite the challenges, the project has a lot of potential benefits for the institution and this was unanimously admitted to by the professionals interviewed. Digitization will help the institution solve some of the problems concerning loss and damage of records, preservation and enhance access to the collections in the Archives. It also makes it possible to keep surrogate copies in case of disasters, loss or inevitable deterioration of records in the collection and most importantly it makes access to records faster, easier and more efficiently.

Recommendations

The following recommendations are made based on the findings of this study:

Funding

Funding is a major challenge facing the digitization project at the institution. Apart from internal funding, the institution should also find alternative means of generating income which can help the digitization project such as international funding and bursaries. Through participation in some international forums and partnership with international bodies, there could be great opportunities for funding of the project. Funds can also be solicited from external bodies such as foreign embassies which have friendly relations with the country. There is however, a need to explore public/private partnerships when undertaking digitization projects. Donations from interested members of the public should also be considered. There are several indigenous and multinational companies with corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs or funds for sponsoring such a digitization project.

Digitization policy

The Department of National Archives, Ibadan should develop a digitization policy and guideline which will serve as a blueprint for the digitization project. The policy must be addressed urgently and provisions must be made for fast deteriorating collections such as historical records which are consulted frequently in order to save the records from deteriorating conditions of archival storage. The issue of copyright must be considered and carefully addressed in order to avoid copyright problems in the long-run. The copyrights of software which are needed to access digital files, and the right to copy for preservation have to be adequately articulated in the policy.

Staff education, training and employment

It is important to employ new generation and experienced archivists who have IT skills. The current staff should be trained inhouse and encouraged to participate in seminars, conferences and workshops within and outside the country in order to update their knowledge in current trends in digital archives and management. The participation of the Department of National Archives, Ibadan at international forums can offer training opportunities for the staff and also acquisition of skills in the area of digitization and electronic records management.

Step-by-step digitization approach

A step-by-step approach can be adopted to make it possible for the project to be completed in phases to reduce the financial burden on the institution. The processes of the Search Room can be automated first. This includes the registration process and making the finding aids available in digitized formats. This can make it easier for searchers to get information through the use of keywords, which is available through formats such as PDF/A. A website can then be developed to create these finding aids and make them acessible to users outside the jurisdiction of the Archives, both locally and internationally, through the use of ICT such as computers, tabs and phones connected to the internet. In addition, abstracts of some important collections can be made available online.

Commitment of management

Management should be more committed to the project as this will be the driving force for achieving all that have been mentioned above. Development of a digitization policy, strategic planning, and prioritization of project, staff education and training all require a high level of commitment and decision making by the management.

Preparing for future challenges

The Department of National Archives, Ibadan should take note of future challenges such as the issue of copyright while planning on its digitization project. It is important to learn from the challenges faced in other countries (Britz and Lor, 2004, Ryan, 2010; Pickover, 2010) in preparation for the digitization project. Because of the sensitive nature of the archival materials and their intrinsic value, the digitized materials do not necessarily have to be published online. A database could be created for the digitized materials which may only be accessed at the institution or sent to information seekers or researchers on request. However, the finding aids/descriptive list may be published online for the public to be aware of the available records.

In case foreign assistance is sourced to fund the project; the ownership rights must be retained. The equipment, training and technical support should be at the institution to allow the materials to be digitized in-house to avoid loss or damage of archival records. To do this, the institution can make good use of the experience published by Ryan (2010) in order to avoid certain challenges which might be faced.

Areas of further research

This study covered the challenges of digitization of the collection of the National Archives of Nigeria. However, further studies should be carried out in other public archives in Nigeria. Further studies should focus on developing a feasible framework for digitization projects in public archives. The issue of digital preservation of digitized materials should be included in further research due to the challenges of digitization. Most importantly, these studies should be carried out in the context of developing countries in order to deal with peculiar challenges that might be associated with developing countries. The adoption of qualitative research in further studies to understand the phenomenon being studied in their natural settings is recommended.

Footnotes

ORCID iD

Tolulope Balogun

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