1,720,961 research outputs found
Access to electronic court records in Botswana: trends, status and recommendations
Get PDFGovernments all over the world are using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enable the delivery of their programmes more effectively and efficiently and to increase the participation of the citizens in their governance through their e-government initiatives. The main purpose of this study was to explore issues of access to electronic case files at the Gaborone Magisterial District. Since 2005, the Department of Administration of Justice (AOJ) in Botswana has implemented an electronic Court Records Management System (CRMS) to manage case file records at the high courts and magistrates’ courts of Botswana as one of the government’s public sector reforms to improve service delivery at the courts. This study used both the quantitative and qualitative approaches with data collected through a questionnaire, document review, interviews with respondents and observation of respondents at the Gaborone Magisterial District as well as at justice stakeholders, which are Department of Public Prosecutions and the Department of Prisons and Rehabilitation. The questionnaire was supplemented with interviews. The study used the Records Continuum Model as lens to examine how electronic case files were used and accessed through the CRMS. The findings of the study revealed inadequate legislation on the management of electronic case files in Botswana. Challenges such as network disruptions, shortage of computers, resistance to change, training and a lack of commitment by staff affected access to court records on the CRMS. The study also established that access to electronic case files was limited to court personnel only. The study recommends the adoption of relevant policies and the provision of adequate infrastructure and remote access to electronic court records by the public and other stakeholders in the justice system in Botswana. Failure to provide online access to court records goes against the spirit of the Botswana National ICT policy and the National Vision 2036, which advocates for digital access to information and community access through the use of ICTs
Social media use and the proliferation of fake news during the COVID-19 pandemic in Botswana: the archives and records management dilemma
Get PDFPurpose- To assess the impact of the proliferation of fake news through social media during COVID-19 pandemic on archives and records management in Botswana.
Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper which adopts the qualitative research approach. Documentary review on fake news, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19), archives and records management and social media is used to collect data for the paper.
Findings- The main findings were that even though Batswana appreciate social media platforms as they enable easy access to information, these platforms make them more susceptible to fake news and intolerance. This situation has led Botswana to legislate some laws to try to curb the spread of fake news. The paper also established that the digital era has made it difficult for records professionals to identify and preserve authentic records for evidential purposes. As a result, and particularly due to COVID-19, automation of the records manual processes through the use of modern smart technologies has become inevitable fororganisations in the country. Consequently, there is need for continuous training of the archives and records personnel.
Research limitations/implications- The findings of this paper are limited to the reviewed literature on Botswana and may not be generalised to other situations. Practical implications- Findings of this study could assist archivists and records managers in their professional decisions during the post-truth era. The results points to the importance of the preservation of the authenticity and integrity of records
The good, the bad and the ugly: social media prospects and perils for records management
No full textRecords and information professionals have in recent years, seen themselves grappling with new technologies in order to ensure that records generated in the process are captured and preserved for business requirements. It has been evident that the availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their associated benefits have resulted in an increased number of organisations adopting and using social media to reach out to customers and clients. With social media issues like security, privacy, service agreements and standards are continually added and can change instantly. These frequent changes and unreliable environments call for organisations adopting social media initiatives to be aware of the risks and opportunities involved, thereby ensuring that resultant records are controlled, monitored and preserved accordingly or stand the risk of losing their digital information. This conceptual study used documentary reviews to collect data in the analysis of opportunities and risks brought by social media in the records management field and explore alternatives for records management. This study found that social media presents a volatile environment with both the good and the bad. Therefore, this study recommends that organisations that adopt and use social media platforms should put measures in place for the management of social media records to meet legal and business requirements
The processing of Kgosi Bathoen II private archives collection for increased access to archives
Get PDFNational archival institutions are responsible for the acquisition, preservation and making accessible of their nation’s documentary heritage. It is on this basis that the Department of Botswana National Archives and Records Services (BNARS) acquires records through the normal transfer of public records from government agencies as well as donations of private archives. The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the processing of private archives of a prominent “Kgosi” in the history of Botswana, Kgosi Bathoen II of the Bangwaketse ethnic group. This is a qualitative study that used literature review to collect data. It also uses the author’s personal observation, as she was involved in the acquisition and processing of the Bathoen II archives. The key findings suggest that even though Batswana have not been donating their private archives in high numbers, BNARS have made strides in collecting private archives of prominent individuals in the country. Unlike public records, private archives collections may not come in any logical arrangement, which may be a tormenting exercise for the archivist to process and select what is worth preserving. This paper concludes that despite the difficulties encountered in processing a huge collection of private papers with no order, private papers should follow the normal archives’ practice of arrangement and description for eventual access by researchers or users. Additionally, the significance of private archives in filling the gaps found in the national repositories was revealed through Bathoen II collection, as it has information on various aspects of Botswana life, customs, traditions and the people. As such, the collection provides diversity to the nation’s documentary heritage and serves as a rich resource for research. This paper also presents lessons learnt in the preservation of private archives in Botswana
Governance of liquid communication generated through the use of social media by the Botswana government
Get PDFSocial networks have increasingly become a platform for liquid communication through which real business transactions take place. Liquid communication in this study refers to records generated by the government on social media for customer service, access to information and direct community involvement needs. The content on social media platforms can be shared and re-tweeted many times beyond the control of the creating agency, resulting in challenges regarding its management. The government of Botswana has been fully active in the use of social media as part of the government’s electronic government programme, thereby generating liquid communication in the process. The unstable nature of liquid communication calls for its governance according to the established records management requirements. Using the Association of Records Managers and Administrators’ (ARMA) Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles (GARP®) as a theoretical framework, this qualitative study examined the governance of liquid communication generated through the use of social media by the Botswana government with the view to developing a framework for liquid communication governance (See Table 1.1). Data were collected through interviews with a purposively chosen sample targeting public relation officers and policy makers based at the Botswana Government Communications and Information System (BGCIS) office, which manages the government of Botswana’s social media platforms, as well as records managers and archivists, chief programmer and director, corporate services from other Botswana government departments with the role of information management such as the Botswana National Archives and Records Services (BNARS), the Botswana Communication and Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) and the Department of Information Technology (DIT) (See Table 4.2).
The key results suggest that the government of Botswana, through the BGCIS, mainly uses social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to communicate key decisions with the public. The analysis in this study revealed that despite the clear evidence of the Botswana government being active on social media platforms through its pages titled “BWGOVERNMENT”, engaging with the citizens, social media entries were not considered or managed as records by the government. As a result of this no proper measures were put in place to ensure governance of liquid communication. The study revealed that the policy framework was lacking in that there was no social media policy, no measures in place to ensure the integrity of liquid communication, no regard for issues of retention and disposition of liquid communication, as well as a lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities for the governance of liquid communication in the country. This is despite the fact that the National Archives and Records Services Act of 1978 (as amended in 2007) (NARS Act) (amended in 2007), which is the principal records management legislation, recognises the existence of other records formats such as liquid communication through its definition of a record. The trends around the world show recognition by governments that social media content may constitute records and are managed accordingly. The literature indicates that other governments and organisations in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada and Australia have social media policies and strategies to guide the management of social media content though less evidence amongst African countries. The study concludes that without a governance framework for liquid communication in place, the government faces the risk of losing evidential information required for legal, administrative, historical and compliance purposes. Additionally, the government may face the risk of losing its digital heritage. This study, therefore, proposes a framework for the governance of liquid communication to guide the government to manage content generated through the use of social media. A further study to make a comparison or do a benchmarking of the maturity of the governance of liquid communication between governments, for example within Southern Africa, using the proposed framework and/or the ARMA Information Governance Maturity Model is recommended.D. Phil. (Information Science)Information Scienc
DIGITAL RECORDS CURATION AT THE EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES (IRS)
No full textMost of the knowledge generated in academic institutions today is in digital form. Given that institutional repositories (IRs) across universities receive, preserve and make access to digital assets. The aim of this study is to assess the status of digital curation at Institutional repositories in selected Universities in Botswana and Kenya. The study takes a quantitative approach whereby data was collected through survey questionnaires administered amongst university IR staff in Botswana and Kenya. The data collected was analysed and presented with tables and figures. The Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Functional Model was used in this study as a lens to investigate the problem. The findings of the study show that public universities in Botswana and Kenya have established IRs that ingest digital records into their custody. Most resources ingested include thesis and publications by academic staff and students. These IRs store their digital records on local servers and other storages like CDs. This study found that the majority of the IRs both in Botswana and Kenya do not have digital records preservation plans. This study recommends the use of the OAIS model to preserve, manage and make access to digital records at East and Southern African public Universities Institutional Repositories
DIGITAL RECORDS CURATION AT THE EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES (IRS) [presentation]
No full textMost of the knowledge generated in academic institutions today is in digital form. Given that institutional repositories (IRs) across universities receive, preserve and make access to digital assets. The aim of this study is to assess the status of digital curation at Institutional repositories in selected Universities in Botswana and Kenya. The study takes a quantitative approach whereby data was collected through survey questionnaires administered amongst university IR staff in Botswana and Kenya. The data collected was analysed and presented with tables and figures. The Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Functional Model was used in this study as a lens to investigate the problem. The findings of the study show that public universities in Botswana and Kenya have established IRs that ingest digital records into their custody. Most resources ingested include thesis and publications by academic staff and students. These IRs store their digital records on local servers and other storages like CDs. This study found that the majority of the IRs both in Botswana and Kenya do not have digital records preservation plans. This study recommends the use of the OAIS model to preserve, manage and make access to digital records at East and Southern African public Universities Institutional Repositories
The Use of Social Media by the Botswana Government and Governance of Liquid Communication
No full textSocial media as a communication tool has enabled governments around the world to interact with citizens for customer service, access to information and to direct community involvement needs. The trends around the world show recognition by governments that social media content may constitute records and should be managed accordingly. The literature shows that governments and organisations in other countries, particularly in Europe, have social media policies and strategies to guide the management of social media content, but there is less evidence among African countries. Thus the purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of usage of social media by the Botswana government in order to determine the necessity for the governance of liquid communication. Liquid communication here refers to the type of communication that goes easily back and forth between participants involved through social media. The ARMA principle of availability requires that where there is information governance, an organisation shall maintain its information assets in a manner that ensures their timely, efficient and accurate retrieval. The study adopted a qualitative case study approach where data were collected through documentary reviews and interviews among purposively selected employees of the Botswana government. This study revealed that the Botswana government has been actively using social media platforms to interact with its citizens since 2011 for increased access, usage and awareness of services offered by the government. Nonetheless, the study revealed that the government had no official documentation on the use of social media, and policies and strategies that dealt with the governance of liquid communication. This study recommends the governance of liquid communication to ensure timely, efficient and accurate retrieval when needed for business purposes
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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