- ~. LIBRA RY LINK - A Journal of Library and Infonnation science Vol.14 Nos. 1&2 ::015

I=-~.~d~:nent attai nment in the Catholic Church Community.~_""ft-'~"'r1I<::Records Preservation, Archive Administration, Catholic Church

C.(JI'.i:ll:i1cr:-!t.'.l anagement, Steel Cabinet,

Imredncti on:o ford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 6th Ed (2000) has defined

c:z;r:tl\,'~~ - a collection of historical documents or records of a government, aor an organization. Kennedy & Schauder (2010) also defined

records of any institution, public or private, preserved because of~. The Greek word "archei on" was originally applied to government

. archives). There are also records generated by families andd::'::fiu2ls_ 'hi h are generally described as "private" or "personal papers". The

- i al 0 used to designate an agency or administrative unit~p.:l:(b--:~~e~or identifying, appraising, accessioning, preserving, arranging,

providing reference service on archives material, and fortruction of records of transitory value and also as a building or

U •••.•~UJlllg housing archival materials and providing office space andth archi ists (that is those engaged in the administration and use of

ore means that; archives have accumulated as a result ofa tion and have thereafter been set aside for permanent

j:!:::~~••-::!::ic:: sin they have been adjudged to possess certain lasting qualities.orne more complex and knowledge increased, a more effective

roducing records through printing evolved. The records ofm thence increased at such a rate that a new situation was created

rs of these records were inundated with records of the society,·~~c t:~er::'capaci to absorb and comprehend (Chibambo, 2003)

1991) posits that, archives consist of records that have beenpermanent or long-term preservation on grounds of their enduring

:ti5:;:ori-( .al, or evidentiary value. Archival records are normally_--l:~=-~~"~ lmost always unique, unlike books or magazines for which

pies exist. This means that archives (the places) are quite- rarie with regard to their functions and organization, although

"'--o"--d":""; ~'-'.~ ••.crions can often be found within library buildings. Archiveshares common purpose with library and information servicei to acquire, preserve and make information in the form of

d:I.:c:=Cl~jO:~available as effectively and as economically as possible. The.c==:::::S:t::2:'uCJIl of archive however, because of their origin, their basic character

ary u es, requires the application of principle and techniquestho e developed for the effective management of other types ofat rials (Crockett, 2006)

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NIGERiAN LIBRARY LINK - A Journal of Library and Information science Vol.14 Nos. 1&.7 2015

Archives, however, have their immediate origin in administrativeactivities; they are created and accumulated in the course of conducting thebusiness activities of an institution and are therefore natural accumulation ofdocumentary materials. Archives are organised in such a way that theidentification and significance of individual items are frequently use as a body ofdocumentation (Evborokbai, 1990). According to International RecordsManagement Trust (1999) they are usually unpublished and are primarilyintended to accomplish functional purpose. As the unique product of day-to-dayactivities of an institution, archives have an official and legal character withrespect to the origin, structure, functions, procedures and transactions of thatinstitution. These are essential to the preservation and protection of property andother organization's and individual activities within the scope ofthe institutionalactivities.

However, in the Church, archives are places of memory of the Christiancommunity and storehouse of cultural heritage. As places of memory, archivesmust systematically gather all the data making up the articulated history of theChurch community so that what has been done and the results obtained, may beproperly evaluated. The Code of Canon Law (Canon Law Society 1983) givessuitable norms for the diligent conservation and care management of archivalsources. The documents preserved in the archives of the Catholic Churchrepresent an immense and precious heritage. This is shown by the great number ofarchives which have been instituted by the presence and activities of Bishops inthe Episcopal cities (Ismail & Jamaludin 2009).

Harvey, (2003) pointed out that the responsibility for documentingmaterial is assigned primarily to individual Church entities. This makes itnecessary to establish suitable criteria for management of historic archives,protection and conservation of the secret archives, and their proper organization.There should be a set up for computerization of data, which needs assistance oftechnical experts and qualified personnel. Information about the collectionshould be circulated among various archives. Participation in national andinternational Archi e associations is important for archivists and librarians.A ailability of the collection for consultation and research should be promoted.

utula & Wamukoya, (2009) argued that the establishment of a churcharchi es centre serves several purposes and functions. Legal documents may bepre erved in the church archives to provide necessary information. Vitalstatistical records (membership, baptismal and marriage) are often referred to bypersons needing proof of birth dates for retirement and pension purposes.Archival files provide useful data to church leaders on past promotional activitiesand events and assist them in evaluating future programs and methods.

Statement of the problemThe church archives are faced with problems of insufficient space,

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RARY LINK - A Journal of Library and Information science Vol.14 Nos. 1&2 2015

raamtenance and infrastructure particularly for information.::::::::::::::::::::::::::O:cr: chnologies and also poor layout of and untidiness in the records

re ervation is a crucial element of an integrated recordsgram. If records are not well protected physically through theiria (paper, digital tape, and film) will not survive long enough to

ini trative and cultural purposes by providing evidence of present

the study:e a ailability of storage facilities in these churches'entres;

~ e e of archival repositories possessed by themized or purpose built;

method of preserving records;'Pe of finding aids available in the church;

on :available storage facilities in the churches' archive

o archival repositories do the churches have?J..;,..;.~.LI...l\~ do they employ in preserving their records?

o finding aids available in the church?

and development of archives centres in the economicallyon have been associated with historical research andd as such, record-handlers and management-initiators were

.........•..-=-.~.tb-:tIJmms. Records centre were places where historical archives were"-"-'-"--"~"':'" ~l.U.lJ""u.. organized, stored and made available to researchers Archives,

r ords of any institution, public or private, preserved because ofr--,.""T.:-::'-Y3 Chimbabo, 2003)"

3 Greek word "Archei on" was originally applied to Governmentli archives)" There are also records generated by families and

hich are generally described as "private" or "personal papers"" The term archives is also used to designate an agency or

~:::':':=.5~u"\'e unit responsible for identifying, appraising, accessioning,.-'-'~"'~~·~~n"arranging, describing and providing reference service on archivesc;a~~i;-ll_and for approving the destruction of records of transitory value•.,-«·U'\~_"",-ett. 006)

A ording to Popoola & Oluwole (2007), the first attempt made by thecoloni a1 go emment in the establishment of archives began in 1914 when thesecretary of state for the colonies was quoted as demanding from the Britishadministration overseas "a report as to the existing arrangement for the custody

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NIGERIAN LIBRARY LINK - A Journal of Library and Informauon science Vol 14 Nos. 1&22015

and the preservation of the older official records of government in Nigeria". Hesuggested in the memoranda that appropriate steps should be taken for "safekeeping and preservation of the documents in question". The outbreak ofthe FirstWorld War prevented any positive action. At the end of war in about 1936, acircular from the colonial secretary (Ormsby Gore) to the British colonies in WestAfrica informed that "preservation of historical records must be regarded as oneofthe first duties of a colonial government, a duty which derives greater urgencyfrom the fact that delay in the institution of suitable retentive measures may anddoes lead to the inevitable loss of documents of value"

In 1948, another circular was issued referring to the implementation of thescheme to establish Central African Archives and urged that survey of records beundertaken and offered the assistance of the British Public Records Office in theurve . In spite of the pressure mounted by the colonial office as revealed in many

of the circulars, the actions of the British administration in the colonies wereunimpressi e towards the preservation of the government records. For instancethe advice that "the destruction of records should henceforth require the approvalof some responsible authority to which details of the documents to be destroyedshould first be submitted" was followed and wanton burning of records persistedeven up to the eve of Nigerian independence celebration. The attitude of Nigeriangovernment to the colonial office circular was lukewarm on the care andpreservation of records (Popoola & Oluwole 2007).

Alegbeleye (1991) opined that today's paper has become a complexprocess increasingly based on scientific research. Most records are kept on paper,documents, files and photographs; such private communication as letters andgreetings. Mass communication, newspapers and magazine require greatamounts of paper. Present day educational systems would be impossible withoutpaper. However, records their creation, use and maintenance accounts for aconsiderable portion of our general operating expense. It is important, thereforethat we keep the volume of records we generate to a minimum and retain those werequire in the most economical and efficient manner. Records and Archives areoften used to mean the same thing but a distinction should be made. Archivesrefer to records that have been selected for preservation as distinct from recordswhich refer to and include all media which contain information acquired orgenerated in course of administrative action irrespective of origin or date(Oketunji, 2003)

However, the preservation of records being representations of the past aswell as promoting their importance to the public has been part of the emergingconcerns of the archival profession. Trace (2002) presumed that the growingrealization of the complicated nature of the materials that the archivists managecalls for a deep thinking of what really constitutes a record and the contentment ofthe archivists on being mere guardians or pa si e keepers of records.

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· A Journal of Library and Information science Vo/.f 4 Nos. f &22015

t::::e~means b which archives are protected for the use of present~~_ :::rJ=r:;;C!:ir:-:s-. I i a word commonly used by record offices, libraries~~~::S1:i~~':~:::::>ethe ways in which their collections are safeguarded and

ondition. This can be done through a variety of measures==::E:..::r:c:'&;=::::.:::::z::ng the risk ofloss of records and slowing down, as much as

'P:-~lC~SS~~of physical deterioration which affect most archive==:::::::::::".i. ! •...,:u...:::.'~.'!=_L_:e_1991). Preserved records pass on our history and cultural

.3 ~ eration to another. They are indispensable to scholarly_.historians, sociologists, geographer, demographers, and

=:e:::!~~~:e,,'_SU(:i-ety e1ie on these scholars who use church records to make the-:===::;=:!o:::.::;~~he1J.S-ibleand relevant to the present (Ham, 1993).

a tremendous impact on the longevity of the life span ofI~~=S the availability of records over time. Rothenberg (2000)

- rvation of any informational entity is ultimately defined inattributes can and must be preserved to ensure that it will

hether originally intended, subsequently expected oration strategies and techniques have evolved from

:.=:~~-:~= - _ - - 1 records to preserving electronic records in line with the~;==:.~=~~s.:-~,g=~e0 ICTs in workplaces. Preservation efforts should embrace the

d not be limited to any specific stages due to the need to keepetadata for accessibility and authentication.

employed for this study was descriptive survey. Total:===:!r2=~'::. sampling technique was adopted for the purpose of this study. It was.±I~:::::t!oe<:::.!'" •.zse of the small number of population of professional archivist!

harge of church archives involved which is put at 180. This cuts~Catholic Archdioceses of Lagos and Ibadan in South West, Nigeria.

tatistics of frequency counts and percentages were used for the

:Total enumeration sampled for LagosATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE

SJ0·0. DEANERY POPULATION1 Agege Deanery 152 Apapa Deanery 10- Badagry Deanery 7~-l Ikej a Deanery 305 Lagos Island Deanery 206 Lagos Mainland Deanery 257 Lekki Deanery 13

Total 12013

NIGERlAN LIBRARY LINK· .-1 Journal of Library and Information science Vol.14 Nos. 1&22015OJ4

OJ]Table 2: Total enumeration sampled for IbadanIBADA CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE

OD' I SIN o. I DEA ERY601 Ibadan

POPULATIO

ELl Results and Discussion of FindingsDemographic variables

The background data collected from the respondents revealed thefollowing demographic characteristics of the respondents:Table 3: Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

OK4

AG]

OK(Variables N 0/0

GenderMale 93 81.6

Female 21 18.4Total 114 100

ArchdiocesesLa~os 86 75.4Iba an 28 24.6Total 114 100.0

B

BE

GVIn Table 3,it is obvious that 93 (81.6%) of the respondents were males and

21 (18.4%) were females. This implies that male respondents were the higher innumber. Also, it was further revealed that the Archdiocese of Lagos wasrepresented by 93 (81.6%) respondents and archdiocese of Ibadan wasrepresented by 28 (24.6%) of the respondents. The high number of respondents inLagos Archdiocese could be as a result of the large concentration of the Deaneriesin Lagos metropolis more than archdiocese ofIbadan. This is similar to the reportof Okello- Obura (2012) on the gender distribution of records managementpersonnel in Tororo district of Uganda.Research question 1:What are the available storage facilities?Table 4: The Storage Facilities Available in the Churches

OG'

o

L

KE4 Storage facilities Yes % No %Wooden racks 55 48.2 59 51.8Steel Cabinet 103 90.4 11 9.6

Cupboards 62 54.4 52 45.6Shelves 32 28.1 82 71.9Floor I .9 113 99.1

Others 1 .9 111 99.1

T.C.E

OBTh

SE BA

Table 4:The durability of steel cabinet for torage fa ilities had shown here with103 (90.4%) as the highest. While 62 (54.4% had upboards, 59 (51.8%) doesnot have wooden racks for storage facilitie in the hurch. The implication is thatthose with cupboards should go for steel in 0 fire a ident, while those usingwooden racks are advised to change to te 1a -0 in ord r to prevent fire hazard

u::i~[!YUBRARY UNA' - A Journal of Library and Information science Vol.14 Nos. 1&22015

the steel products are fire proof. These findings are not at variance. gs of Ndenje-Sichalwe (2010) which revealed that majority of the

~:pJ:::ti.~:-3-ontrolled Iight and most registries make use of fumigation in pestr ord storage area in the public sector of Tanzania.

u tion 2: What type of archival repositories do the churches

ositories in the ChurchesCustomized 90 78.9Purpose-built 24 21.1Total 114 100

hov ed that 90 (78.9%) of the churches possessed customized~'105.~-~m::.while only 24 (21.1 %) possessed a purpose-built repositoryr=5;;:ec::~.·ely.Prior to the administration of the questionnaires, the researcher'sfr::Sl'::}!.:..!~_·' rod revealed that some of the churches have customised repositories

•...~ •••.iJ purposely built, the questionnaire administered were to ascertain the~.J;.:-"~~;:>;:) of the facilities or availability of those facilities.

Res~!lI"ch que tion 3: What methods do the churches employ in preserving,•.r...••.•..•..•••..ords?: ~ ethods Employed in Preserving their Records

'""".I.C\C"l ·ation Methods Yes 0/0 No %Ilr, filming 71 62.3 43 37.7I. •• .,.

32 28.1 82 71.9. ..;.~u.uQ:

Site storage 32 28.1 82 71.9i ahon 96 84.2 18 15.8·r

t:.ncapsulahon 7 6.1 107 93.9Off-site storage 4 3.5 110 93.5

"" 6 howed the methods employed "in preserving their records. About_. 00 indicated the use of microfilming in the preservation of records and

~_"",.,--' __ 010 indicated the use of duplication. Microform refers to the variousrormars in which microfilm is created and used. Familiarity with these terms is

: important because the type of micro form used will affect office efficiencyrecords retrieval, while the type of microfilm used will affect the durability ofrecord.

earch Question 4: What types of finding aids are available in the churchrchives?

Table 7: The types of Finding Aids Available in the Church Archives

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NIGERIAN LIBRARY LINK - A Journal of Librarv and Information science Vol.14 Nos. 1&22015

Finding aids Yes 0/0 No %

Index 52 54.6 62 54.4Guide 30 26.3 84 73.7

Simple list 7 6.1 107 93.9Register 23 20.2 91 79.8

Inventory 6 5.3 108 94.7Calendar - - 114 100Others - - 114 100

The findings in table 7 revealed the types of finding aids available in the churcharchi e . The results had shown that (45.6%) of the respondents used index," bile 30 26.3%) of the respondents made use of guide. The use of register as aform of finding aids was indicated by 23 (20.2%) of the respondents. Furtherfindings revealed that finding aids give the descriptions of the holdings of thearchival institution for the purpose of establishing intellectual control.

Index is an instrument which allows users to identify particulardocuments or pieces of information relevant to their search, and it is therefore themeans by which the arrangement of interpretation of archives in series may bemodified to make subject-based inquiries possible. An index will highlightnames, places, events and subjects. It is an important tool for pointing out toreaders to some of the relevant holdings. With a good index, the institution canmake continuous use of the expertise ofthe staff who has helped to compile it, andreaders are able to make quite accurate searches, thus saving everybody'S time(Alegbeleye, 1990).

Conclusion and Recommendation:The analysis of archive administration and records management in this

study has shown the forms of information and records generated before turninginto archives by the Catholic Church for both archdiocese in Lagos and Ibadan.Managing these archival repositories possessed by the churches requiresprofessionals and equipment like steel cabinet, metal shelves strong room,coupled with preservation methods emplo ed by the churches throughmicrofilming of records and use of duplication. Information that is kept in thearchives can be retrieved through indexing. guide and use of register.

However, for good archive administra .on and records management, thereis need for qualified records managem onnel with skills in goodpreservation in the areas of controlling remoerarure and relative humidity throughthe good use of dehumidifiers dehydra - .::=.::= and air conditioners. Adequatearchive and records management - e gi en yearly to recordsofficers and archivists to upda e e on records managementpractices and to continuall introduce

Y U. K - A Journal of L wary and Information science Vol.l4 Nos. 1&22015

90 . "Records an,Iinformation management" An Overview.rented at the workshop on records and information

::=!:::::!~=c~lentat A9th_18th Se t; University oflbadan, Ibadan p3

1991). Disaster control planning for libraries and electronicO-""' •••• processing centres in Africa, Ibadan: Options Book and Information

-60

_003).Records management: the key to good governance ands:::!~lJal1Jlede elopment. XVII Biennial Eastern and Southern Africa~~~"'1(l!".;.2~Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA)

onference on Archives, Society and Good Governance,~2Z:r:~:que. aputo, July 22-26.

Cl:::i!l~I. 6. "The national archives records management guide"d on 30 July 2012. Retrieved from

·.nationalarchives.gov.ukldocuments/whatJec _man.pdf

1 . Archives administration and record management trainingPaper Presented at National Archives workshop: Ibadan;

~fu:tWil_-\r hi es. 11th June-22nd Aug.

. 0 1996). "The implementation of records management~:nme in igeria": The Registry System. A Paper Presented at the

\ orkshop on Implementation of Records ManagementPrrtgi"1!ID.lllle in igeria Ota, 8th_10thJuly.

. Selecting and appraising archives and manuscripts Chicago:"r<7 Society of American Archivis ts.

003). UNESCO's memory of the world programme and""it!5rn!llia'lost and missing documentary heritage; Australia LibraryJournal 2 :(2)135-148.

c::~zri()nal Records Management Trust(1999). Principles of records and.ye management, London, IRMT. p 142.

. and Jamaludin, A. (2009)." Towards establishing a framework foranaging trusted records in the electronic environment". Records

_fanagementJournalI9(2): 134-145.

~"~iil1i~~_·'.J and Schauder, C (2000). Records management: a guide to corporaterecord keeping. 2nd ed. Longman

tula . and Wamukoya, J. (2009). "Public sector information management

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NIGERIAN LIBRARY LINK - A Journal of Library and Information 5, ience Vol.14 Nos. 1&22015

in east and southern Africa: implications for FO!. democracy and integrityin government". International Journal of InformationManagement29:333-341

Ndenje- Sichalwe, E (2010). The significance of records management tofostering accountability in the Public Service reform programme ofTanzania. Unpublished Ph.D Thesis: University of KwaZulu-Natal,Pietermaritzburg

Okello-Obura, C. (2012). "Records and information management practicesamong SMES in Tororo district" Review, 61.

Oketunji, Ibidapo (2003). "Professional challenges in the digital Age" in acompedium of paper presentations at the Lagos Journal of Library &Information Science (LAJLIS) 1 (2) pp 101-105

Popoola, S.O. and Oluwole, D.A. (2007)."Career commitment among recordsmanagement personnel in a State Civil Service in Nigeria", RecordsManagementJournal, 17(2) pp. 107 - 116

Rothenberg, 1. (2000). "Using emulation to preserve digital documents"International journal of humanities and Arts computing 12: 374-377

Shepherd, E (2006).Why are records in the public sector organizational assets?Records ManagementJournaI16(I):6-12

Shepherd, E and Yeo, G (2003). Managing records: a handbook ofprinciples andpractice London: Facet Publishing

The Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1983). The Code of CanonLaw, Collins, London.

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary(2000) 6111 Ed, Vol. 44Trace, C.B. (2002). "What is recorded is never simply what happened: record

keeping in modem organizational culture". Archival Science, 2 (1-2),137-159.

MR. G. E. ASOGWA (CLN)ESUT Main Library Agbani

DR. JACINTHAI!J U. EZE (CLN)Department of Library and Information

Science, Enugu State University of Science &Technology (ESUT) Agbani.

H11ailiaciniha.eze@esutedu.ng;ezejacinthaucamaka@yahoo.com.

BU.SINESS EDITOR.: ,

MRS o.c OKEKE (CLN)

CONSULTING EDITORS...

. . :. -

. .

.: . .anUbraryUn

.01660, Enullu