Assessment of the Appraisal Practices of Architectural Records at the Gaborone City Council in Botswana

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the appraisal practices of architectural records at Gaborone City Council (GCC) in Botswana. The study was guided by the American Taxonomy approach and the ISO 15489; complemented with the Shrock (1996) guidelines to cater for the appraisal of intrinsic values found in architectural records. A case study research design was adopted. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through open and close ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews from action officers, records management staff in the key departments at the GCC, of which 32 responded out of 47, representing a response rate of 68%. Personal observations and documentary reviews were also conducted at the GCC to supplement the data collection. Furthermore, the Botswana National Archives and Records Services (BNARS) personnel dealing with appraisal were interviewed.  The study revealed that the appraisal practices of architectural records at the GCC were inadequate as evidenced by overwhelming unappraised architectural of records generated; poor identification of records for appraisal; lack of staff to do appraisal; lack of competencies and skills of records personnel in the appraisal of architectural of records; lack of financial and material resources to conduct appraisal; and lack of guidance from BNARS on the appraisal of architectural of records.  As a result of this, architectural records were not properly managed as per records management standards. The study concluded that the absence of an effective record management system at the GCC had led to the disorganisation in the management of architectural records. It is therefore recommended that the GCC adopts and promotes best practices on the appraisal of architectural records.