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What are the possible influences of information technology and its implications for preserving records and archives and making them accessible over time?
What means and processes are employed to make information contained in archives and records accessible?
What is the level of skills in preservation management in South Africa?
What is the potential and actual impact of new laws regarding access to information on the preservation of records and archives?
What steps have been undertaken to safeguard records and archives?
What recommendations on preservation issues can be made?
(1990:vi) has pointed out that preservation guidelines cannot be applicable to all circumstances as preservation needs and resources are bound to dictate the kind of preservation programme that an institution can adopt.
Furthermore, every institution has its unique preservation needs. Preservation needs cannot be universalised. This is not to say that in any particular practice universal' statements or principles of a general nature are inappropriate and unhelpful. However, suffice it to say that any such statements or principles will be mediated by the local and specific environment by, in other words, the situatedness, which constitutes that practice. Thus, in spite of the fact that research institutions and other scholars in Europe and in North America have developed different preservation models, the need to develop models suited for particular situations still remains an important area of study. In that light, Alegbeleye (1988) in his study of library conservation in Nigeria expressed the need for greater research into conservation problems unique to Nigeria and the tropics. Mazikana (1995:26) also asserted that:
There is general consensus that the preservation and conservation of library and archive materials depends not only on their composition and handling but also on the particular environment of the locality. Methods developed in one hemisphere and geographical belt do not necessarily have equal applicability in other localities.
Admittedly the general principles are likely to be the same but whether combining (x) and (y) will produce the same result in the two different locations is an issue that can only be ... determined by conducting ... tests ...
For archival literature to be representative and enriched, research should be conducted across continents and within countries. Commenting on the possibilities and limitations of the archival discourse Cook (1997a) emphasized the need to understand archival theory and practice in the context of place and time. Thus he pointed out that:
Many books could (and should) be written by archivists about their professional history, across the centuries and millennia, across cultures, languages, gender, and nationalities, across differing media and differing types of record creators, across the bridge of theory and practice, that is, across the chasm of the guiding principles and ideas on one side and their actual implementation in archival institutions on the other (Cook 1997a).
The present study recognizes that preservation is an essential element to records and archives management. However, its effectiveness largely depends on being applied appropriately to specific environments. Research into preservation in specific localities is likely to yield reliable empirical data that could be useful for planning purposes. Therefore, this study can serve as an input to producing data that can be used in the South African context, thus avoiding the use of unsuitable preservation solutions exported from elsewhere. This partly explains why the Pan-African Conference on the Preservation and Conservation of Library and Archival Materials held in Nairobi, Kenya from 21 to 25 June 1993 recommended the establishment of research programmes in "existing research institutions to work on problems specific to African preservation issues" (Recommendations 1995: 170).
Research into preservation issues is essential because there is mounting evidence that preservation, with its emphasis on maintaining materials in a usable state, either in their original physical fonn or in some other usable way, should be part of public records and archives management policy to ensure humankind's continued access to infonnation in the documents.
The potential source of originality and contribution to knowledge of this study will derive from the use of data and its outcome (Burton 2000b:429; Cryer 1996: 146-148). Using data to verify or extend an existing theory has been characterized as a type of originality (Blaxter, Hughes & Tight 2001:13; Burton 2000b:429; Phillips & Pugh 1994:61-62). Although, the study applies tools, techniques and theories from other studies, the outcomes will be peculiar to the South African context. To that extent the results will be relatively original.
The review of literature is provided in Chapter Two. Examining reports of previous studies on preservation management led to the identification of "relevant questions" and gaps that are yet to be answered and bridged respectively. Building on the efforts of others, it was realized that preservation studies relevant to specific environments Were necessary in order to narrow the knowledge gap between what has been written and the actual practice on the ground.
The purpose of building upon earlier research was twofold. Firstly, the aim was to clarify which research had previously been carried out that could provide answers to the research
questions. The second rationale was to establish if the present research was needed and to choose the appropriate methodology for the research.