Challenges of managing and preserving

audio-visual archives in archival institutions in

Sub Saharan Africa: a literature review
Donald Rakemane
Records Management Division, Office of District Commissioner, Botswana, and
Olefhile Mosweu
Department of Information and Knowledge Management, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify challenges related to the management and preservation of audio-visual (AV) records and/or
archives in archival institutions in Sub Saharan Africa and suggests strategies for resolving them.
Design/methodology/approach – This study is qualitative in nature and used content analysis from desk top review of literature to identify the
challenges and suggested solutions.
Findings – Among others, the study revealed that budgetary constraints, poor environmental controls, ill-equipped staff and technological
obsolescence are the major challenges hampering the efforts of archival institutions in Sub Saharan Africa to manage and preserve AV archives.
Research limitations/implications – The contextual differences due to existing political set ups in archival agencies in Sub Saharan Africa may or
may not be receptive to some of the strategies suggested for the improvement of managing and preserving audio visual archives.
Practical implications – The paper provides practical solutions which can inform policy and practice; thus, if adopted by archival agencies, the
findings can add to improvements in the management and preservation of AV records.
Originality/value – The study contributes to the body of knowledge on the preservation and management of AV archives in the context of Sub Saharan Africa.
Keywords Africa, Management, Records, Audiovisual archives, Preservation, Archival institutions, Sub Saharan Africa
Paper type Literature review

1. Introduction effectively. In many developing countries, AV archives are not

Audio-visual archives (records) or materials are a vital component
of heritage, collective memory and identify all our yesterdays
(Oomen et al., 2009). Just like their paper counterparts, they need
to be managed and preserved properly to ensure that they are
continually accessible for consultation. Edmondson (2004, p. 24)
describes audio-visual (AV) materials as:
[. . .] sound, radio, film, television, video or other productions comprising
moving images and or recorded sounds whether or not primarily intended
for distribution to the public or non-literary or graphical material such as
photographs, maps, manuscripts, slides, and other visual works selected in
their own right.
They are thus different from paper as they are multi-layered
and complex in their construction (Forde, 2007).
Heritage institutions such as libraries, archives and museums
exist for the preservation, management and continuation of the
cultural heritage made from a variety of cultures, past and
current civilizations, artefacts, manuscripts, printed materials,
AV materials and electronic documents (Harrison, 1997).
All this media in which records exist need to be managed
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald
Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/2514-9326.htm
much recognized as compared to printed materials and thus
receive lesser care (Mensah et al., 2017). Arguably, heritage
institutions in many developing countries have not put in place
measures required for the preservation and management of
AV materials. These measures among others include;
environmental control for AV materials, education and training
on AV materials, collection development policy, disaster
preparedness plan, servicing and cleaning AV equipment
regularly and collaboration with other institutions. Among
others, AV materials include sound recordings, film, graphic
materials, electronic resources, three-dimensional objects,
maps and microform. The main purpose of this paper was to
unearth the challenges related to the management and
preservation of AV records and/or archives in heritage
institutions in Sub Saharan Africa and suggest strategies for
resolving them.
2. Objectives of the study
To adequately address the research problem, objectives should
be specific, well thought and reflect the research question being
asked. They should also be aligned to the chosen methodology
(Ming, 2005). The objectives of this study were to:

Collection and Curation

40/2 (2021) 42–50 Received 15 April 2020
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 2514-9326] Revised 1 June 2020
[DOI 10.1108/CC-04-2020-0011] Accepted 8 June 2020

42
 Managing and preserving audio-visual archives
Donald Rakemane and Olefhile Mosweu
 identify challenges impeding the preservation of AV
archives in archival institutions in Sub Saharan Africa; and
 suggest strategies for the improved preservation of AV
archives in archival institutions in Sub Saharan Africa.
3. Statement of the problem
AV material need to be preserved for posterity, regardless of
form or media. Matangira (2010) asserts that the preservation
of AV archives is more difficult than paper records. Professional
organizations such as the International Association of Sound
and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) advocate for the care, access
and long-term preservation of the world’s sound and moving
image heritage. Despite the critical role play by AV materials,
their care and preservation for future access is problematic in
spite of the efforts of several advocacy and international bodies
such as IASA. The manner in which this heritage is managed
and preserved is still wanting. The management and
preservation of AV material especially in Sub Saharan Africa
has always been a cause for concern that needed an immediate
intervention. Scholars and researchers in archives and records
management in Sub Saharan Africa such as Mnjama (2010)
and Abankwah (2007) complained about the management and
preservation of AV materials not being given the attention they
deserve. A study conducted by Abankwah (2007) revealed that
AV materials in selected countries in Eastern and Southern
Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives
(ESRABICA) are not managed throughout their lifecycle
although they play a pivotal role in the preservation of cultural
heritage. Studies by Abankwah (2007), Mnjama (2010),
Lukileni-Iipinge and Mnjama (2017), Mensah et al. (2017) and
Ncala (2017) in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Ghana and
the ESARBICA region generally have highlighted lack of funds,
poor infrastructure and lack of skilled personnel as among
challenges inherent in the management and preservation of AV
archives. The researchers in this study are not aware of a more
encompassing study that assembled the challenges facing the
preservation and management of AV archives in Sub Saharan
Africa; hence, this study which sought to identify the challenges
impeding the preservation of AV archives in archival
institutions in the Sub Saharan Africa and further suggest
strategies for their improved preservation.
4. Methodology
This study is qualitative in nature (Creswell, 2014) and
adopted content analysis from reviewed literature to address
the research problem. According to Hsieh and Shannon
(2005), content analysis can be conventional, directed and
summative. In all these approaches, meaning is interpreted
from the content of the text, its placement is under a
naturalistic research paradigm, interpretivism to be specific.
The conventional approach was used in this study whereby
coding categories were directly derived from the text data as
informed by research objectives (Hsieh and Shannon, 2005).
The field of Library and Information Science (LIS) has
embraced content analysis because it is a highly flexible method
(White and Marsh, 2006). A number of studies in LIS in Sub
Saharan Africa have used content analysis as a data collection
method in their studies (Wamukoya and Mutula, 2005;
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Ngoepe and Saurombe, 2016; Mosweu and Simon, 2018;
Rakemane and Jain, 2018; Mosweu, 2019a). It is thus
acceptable to use it in research. The next section presents the
findings of the study.
5. Challenges in the preservation of audio-visual
archives in archival institutions in Sub Saharan
Africa
The management and preservation of AV archives in Sub
Saharan Africa is perforated with a plethora of challenges and
these include lack of funding, poor infrastructure, lack of skilled
personnel, poor environmental conditions and inadequate
archival legislation. These are discussed more in the next section.
5.1 Lack of funding
Lack of funding to accomplish records management activities,
including funding to support the management, preservation
and care of AV archives is a paradox in many countries in Sub
Saharan Africa. The management and preservation of AV
collections need to be continually supported by funds. Lack of
funds threatened the preservation and management of AV
materials at the J.H. Kwabena Nketia Archives in Ghana
(Adjin-Tetey, 2016). Inadequate funding brings to the fore
issues that are social, economic, psychological and cultural.
Consequently, Puplick (2009) concludes that lack of funds
makes it difficult to identify, preserve and protect AV archives.
Abankwah (2011) also complained about insufficient budget
allocation to the management of AV material in ESARBICA
member states. The World Intellectual Property Organization
(2018) conducted a feasibility study on enhancing the
collection of economic data on the audiovisual sector in
Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Senegal. The study
cited lack of funds as one of the major challenges in managing
and preserving AV materials in the identified countries. It can
therefore arguably be stated that inadequate funding is one
of the major paradoxes affecting the management and
preservation of AV archives in Sub Saharan Africa.
5.2 Poorly capacitated staff members
Poorly equipped staff members who are able to contribute
towards the management and preservation of AV archives is
another challenge faced by heritage institutions in Sub Saharan
Africa. International Federation of Library Associations
(IFLA) (2004) stated that the management and preservation of
AV materials requires one to poses relevant skills. According to
Adjin-Tetey (2016), lack of technical expertise was cited as an
impediment to the management and preservation of AV
materials in Ghana at the J.H. Kwabena Nketia Archives.
Shortage of technical expertise puts a strain on archivists who
ended up consulting old photographers and old researchers to
help in identifying images, places and other details on the
programmes that had been captured. Abankwah (2007)
observed that lack of funding contributed to poorly equipped
staff as those who needed to be capacitated could not be funded
to receive training. Mnjama (2010) notes that although
Botswana has well-established programmes to train archivists,
the same cannot be said of AV archivists. The training of such
professionals requires special facilities which are currently
lacking in the country. In Namibia, lack of experience in
 Managing and preserving audio-visual archives
Donald Rakemane and Olefhile Mosweu
managing microfilms has been reported by Lukileni-Iipinge and
Mnjama (2017) in a study that investigated the preservation of
AV records at the National Archives of Namibia.
5.3 Inadequate archival legislation
The management of archives and records needs to be
supported by a robust legislative framework (Bantin, 2008;
Okello-Obura, 2011). Inadequate archival legislation is one of
the roadblocks towards proper management and preservation
of AV archives in Sub Saharan Africa. Archival legislation in the
Eastern and Southern Africa region has been found to be
outdated (Mnjama, 2005). In such a situation:
[. . .] archivists are bound to encounter ethical issues pertaining to
individuals’ right of access to vast quantities of AV collections. Digitisation
of AV materials is bound to complicate access versus copyright issues
(Abankwah, 2007, p. 66).
It is therefore crucial that archivists are aware of the coverage of
archival legislation, including whether it covers issues of
copyright which are an issue when providing access to AV
archives. For example, the amended National Archives and
Records Service of South Africa, is silent on acquisition,
copyright and legal deposit of AV materials (Government of
South Africa, 1996).
5.4 Environmental conditions
An important requirement in the preservation of collections is
to ensure that temperatures and relative humidity are
monitored and properly controlled (Segaetsho and Mnjama,
2012). Poor infrastructure for the preservation of AV archives
is mentioned in literature as a challenge in their management
and preservation. According to Abankwah (2007), archival
institutions in eastern and Southern Africa have poor
infrastructure which hinders the effective preservation AV
archives. Most of the institutions lack equipment required
to monitor environmental conditions, a situation which
contributes to the vinegar syndrome. The vinegar syndrome
is the chemical damage that obtains during film preservation
[Association of Moving Image Archives (AMIA), 2015;
National Film and Sound Archives of Australia, 2015]. It is a
hydraulic polymer breakdown, a process of decay (Schüller
and Häfner, 2014; AMIA, 2015). The decay caused by the
vinegar syndrome make AV records inaccessible and renders
them useless. Ncala (2017) carried a study on the
preservation of, and access to AV records at the National
Film, Video and Sound Archives of South Africa and found
that AV archives were affected by chemical problems
resulting from environmental management. For example,
3.4% of 384 AV records had chemical problems of which
0.5% crazing was more evident on video. Other indicators of
environmental damage included colour fading, peeling, oil
sheen surface, bumpy surface deposits, stuck together, brown
acrid powder and the presence of white powder on the edges.
This means these AV records were at risk of being unplayable
at some point in the future. Bigourdan et al. (2006) indicate
that failure in audiotapes is mostly attributed to chemical
decay known as hydrolysis. Thus, inadequate environmental
condition is a major obstacle towards proper management
and preservation of AV archives.
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5.5 Inadequate storage facilities
Inadequate and/or poor storage facilities have been identified as
one of the paradoxes impeding the management and preservation
of AV materials in Sub Saharan Africa. For example, a study
conducted by Muhammad (2019) revealed poor storage facilities
as one of the challenges of archiving AV heritage in Northern
Nigeria. Similarly, to the situation in Northern Nigeria, Mnjama
(2010) found a similar situation in Botswana. Poor infrastructure
for AV archives has also been observed in the ESARBICA region
(Abankwah, 2007). Bishi (2014) remarked that while Zimbabwe
has rich AV materials, they are at risk as the unit managing them
lacks infrastructure, policies, expertise and functional equipment
that facilitate their preservation. The same author further
complained that AV collections at the National Archives of
Zimbabwe are the most threatened due to their nature and
demand for highly technical equipment. From the above studies,
it can be deduced that countries in Sub Saharan Africa are still
faced with several challenges in the preservation and
management of AV materials. This underscores the need to
come-up with mitigating strategies.
5.6 Technological obsolescence
Technological obsolescence is an enigma in the management
and preservation of AV archives in Sub Saharan Africa. The
media within which AV archives are preserved cannot last for a
long time, thus underscoring the need to migrate such
collections to new and emerging technologies. Chambliss
(2019) indicated that since technology changes over time, there
is need to continually migrate digitized content to the latest
formats. One can argue that migrating information from one
media to another may also result in loss of information. A study
conducted in Ghana by Mensah et al. (2017) revealed that
physical deterioration of magnetic tapes, inadequate storage
facilities, obsolescence of equipment and power outages among
others were major factors obstructing the preservation of AV
records at J.H. Kwabena Nketia Archives and the Balme
Library AV Unit. Another study conducted in Tanzania by
Komba et al. (2017) on “Preservation and Accessibility of
Audio-visual Records in Tanzania’s Television Broadcasting
Companies” revealed several barriers affecting the preservation
and accessibility of AV records which amongst others included
technological incompatibility, inadequate infrastructure,
inadequate skills, environmental factors and unclear policies
that hinder access to and use of AV records at Tanzania’s
Television Broadcasting Companies. It can, therefore, arguably
be stated that the management of AV archives in many Sub
Saharan African countries is still hampered by several factors.
6. Proposed strategies for the management and
preservation of audio-visual archives in Sub
Saharan Africa
The preservation of AV archives is a necessary undertaking for
archivists because of their nature. They are more perishable
compared to their paper counterparts, and their preservation
cost per unit are relatively higher (Leary, 2010). AV archives
have also been described as unique by the US’ National
Archives and Records Administration (2016), which asserts
that they possess a unique dimension that the written word
cannot replace. Furthermore, the transcripts of speeches or
 Managing and preserving audio-visual archives
Donald Rakemane and Olefhile Mosweu
meetings cannot substitute the gestures and personality traits,
or tone of voice shown in the recordings. This shows the
importance attached to AV archives, hence the necessity to
preserve them and make them accessible to users in the long
term. According to Sanett (2002, p. 388), “an archive does not
have the choice of whether or not to preserve records, only the
strategy it will use.” The next section therefore proposes
strategies that can be used by heritage institutions in the Sub
Saharan African sub-continent for the management and
preservation of AV archives.
6.1 Education and training
Education and training are one of the strategies that can be
used to improve the management and preservation of AV
materials in archival institutions. According to Yusof and Chell
(1998), education and training are fundamental to developing
lifelong skills and expertise. These enable personnel to acquire
new skills, knowledge and to gain confidence in their work
environment (Wamukoya, 2000). Ngulube (2005) also opined
that for the preservation programme to be successful in
archives, there must be adequate and well-trained manpower.
The same author further stated that the preservation and
conservation of information resources is a specialized field of
knowledge that requires information professionals who
understand the physical and chemical nature of the materials in
their archives holdings. Ngulube (2001) states that education
and training of personnel is a fundamental underpinning for
improving the management of records and archives in Africa.
He adds that no records manager or archivist can claim to be
professional without the core knowledge of records and
archives management. Therefore, there is a need for people to
be trained on the management of records and archives
regardless of their medium or form. The management of AV
archives can therefore be improved by training and educating
people on their proper management and preservation.
Accordingly, Mnjama (2010) proposes that the Department of
Library and Information Studies at the University of Botswana
should launch a specialist short course for the training of AV
archivists. He further contends that such a course should be
geared towards training librarians who currently manage AV
centres. Additionally, Lukileni-Iipinge and Mnjama (2017)
also recommended the implementation of training in AV for
archivists in Namibia as well as the recruitment of qualified staff
with knowledge in the preservation and management of AV
materials. Furthermore, users of AV materials should be
trained on how to handle them. Users in archival institution can
be defined as persons or individuals who use the materials that
exists in the archive. IFLA (2004) stated that users should be
offered the same level of services in AV and multimedia, which
the library delivers regarding printed materials. IFLA further
indicates that all library staff should have substantial knowledge
of all AV materials to easily advice and transfer knowledge to
their potential users. User education is another strategy that can
be used to improve the preservation and management of AV
materials in archival institutions in Sub Saharan Africa.
Archival intuitions in Sub Saharan Africa should ensure that
users who visit to archival institutions are given services on AV
materials as well as ensure closer supervision. If users are not
given support or services on AV materials, they can easily be
damaged, and the information can easily be lost. Closer
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supervision of users of AV materials is a must to ensure that AV
materials are preserved for the long term. International Records
Management Trust (1999) states that damage caused by users
from mishandling and abuse can be minimized through
educating users on proper way of handling archival materials.
Thus, training of staff and users can be used as a powerful
strategy for improving the management and preservation of AV
archives in Sub Saharan Africa.
6.2 Budget
A budget can be defined as a document for recording actual and
projected income and expenditure over time. It is a process of
setting financial goals, forecasting future financial resources and
needs, monitoring and controlling income and expenditures, and
evaluating progress towards achieving financial goals. A
dedicated management and preservation of AV archives
programme needs to be funded so there should be a budget
allocation for it. IFLA (2004) state that to manage AV materials
effectively, one should have specialist knowledge as well as proper
equipment. AV equipment refers to any equipment used for
recording, production, reproduction, processing, broadcasting,
distribution, storage or exhibiting of AV products. All this AV
equipment requires proper budget for acquisition and
maintenance. IFLA (2004) mentions that the budget process
should be reviewed every year in response to the rapid changes in
new technologies. The ever-changing technologies call for a need
to continuously review budgetary provisions every year to migrate
and cope with emerging technologies. Thus, proper budget and
funding can be used as one of the strategies for improving the
management and preservation of AV materials in archival
institutions in Sub Saharan Africa. Additionally, archival agencies
should source funds from stakeholders with vested interests in the
management and preservation of heritage.
6.3 Environmental control
AV materials do not require the same environmental conditions
as printed materials. They do not require the same
environmental conditions as human beings. In many libraries
and archival institutions across the globe, human beings have a
tendency of storing AV materials in environmental conditions
that are unfavourable to them which eventually reduces their
life expectancy and contributes to their deterioration. Mnjama
(2010) also complained about AV materials being kept
under the same conditions as traditional paper materials. In a
nutshell, evidence from literature highlights that the
management and preservation of AV materials is a neglected
aspect. Temperature, relative humidity and direct sunlight are
the many drivers for their deterioration. Fluctuation in
temperature and relative humidity is not ideal for the
management of AV materials (Mnjama, 2010). AV materials
such as CD and DVD should be kept away from direct sunlight
(Setshwane and Oats, 2015). To improve the management of
AV materials, it is crucial to ensure that environmental factors
such as temperature, relative humidity and direct sunlight are
controlled regularly. According to Abankwah (2007), AV
materials in Botswana are kept under the same environmental
conditions as traditional archives which eventually cause
damage to them because of their different preservation needs.
AV materials require very low temperatures and if kept in high
temperatures over time, they shrink. This can be prevented by
 Managing and preserving audio-visual archives
Donald Rakemane and Olefhile Mosweu
putting in place temperature and relative humidity controls to
prong their life. In addition, the environment or storage area for
AV materials should always be cleaned. Failure to keep storage
area for AV materials clean will contribute to their deterioration.
Therefore, the storage facilities need to always be kept clean. The
authors therefore argue that controlling and monitoring
temperature and relative humidity as well as cleaning the
environment regularly can be used a strategy for improving the
management of AV materials in Sub Saharan Africa.
6.4 Collaboration with other institutions
Collaboration is one of the strategies that can be used to
improve the management and preservation of AV materials in
libraries and archival institutions in the Sub Saharan African
sub-continent. According to Zorich et al. (2008), collaboration
is the process in which two or more groups work together
towards a common goal by sharing expertise, information and
resources. Collaboration can also be defined as exchanging
information, alternative activities, sharing resources and
enhancing the capacity of another, for mutual benefit and to
achieve common purposes. Collaboration is when two or more
libraries, archives and or other organizations work together to
preserve library and/or archives materials and their information
content with the aim of facilitating appropriate access for
current and potential users (Eden and Gadd, 1999).
Collaboration with other organization and libraries is the most
attractive strategy that can be adopted by archival institutions
in Sub Saharan Africa to improve the management and
preservation of AV archives. According to Besser (2007),
collaboration in the 21st century has become the most
preferred way of doing business whereby two parties share ideas
and resources. It can be deduced that collaboration in the 21st
is a catalyst for archival institutions which want to achieve the
mandate of preserving and making information accessible.
Collaboration has become an emerging concept in 21st century
due to the advent of digital materials and the need to digitize
materials. It is therefore imperative that AV heritage holders,
managers and distributors embrace collaboration to effectively
be recognized as major role players in the communities in which
they operate and exist (Semmel, 2010). Collaboration between
two parties enables users to search across disciplines,
collections and content type. Mnjama (2010) in his study on
the preservation and management of AV archives in Botswana
highlighted current practices of managing AV materials in
Botswana. Collaboration can also be a platform for attracting
funds. Rakemane and Jain (2018) highlighted that
collaboration among information centres and information
management professionals can be used as a platform for
acquiring new skills that can be used to remain relevant in 21st
century information environment. One of the collaborative
projects undertaken in Africa for digitalizing AV cultural
heritage material was the Aluka project. Collaboration, which
includes cooperation with other institutions is thus a useful
strategy to be adopted for improving the management of AV
materials in archival intuitions in Sub Saharan Africa. Areas of
collaboration may include acquisition, cataloguing, classification,
subject analysis, training, digitalization, archiving and
preservation of AV archives. Public librarians should collaborate
with stakeholders in their communities as well as different
organizations, sectors to work together in gathering cultural
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collections (Setshwane and Oats, 2015). Mosweu (2019b) also
recommended collaboration as a factor to consider to conquer
financial and human capital challenges related to heritage
management. He advocated for memory institutions to among
others, jointly seek funding from organizations outside
government and these would be organizations that support
heritage management and are interested in the preservation of
public memory.
6.5 Establish collection development policy
Among the functions of an archival institution are that of
collection development. The Society of American Archivists
(2020) indicates that as a function within an archive, it
establishes policies and procedures used to select materials that
the repository will acquire, typically identifying the scope of
creators, subjects, formats and other characteristics that
influence the selection process. Originally the term collection
development was associated with library services but has come
to be applied in an archive set up since the 1980s. An archival
institution can use the term acquisition policy in reference to
collection development policy (Society of American Archivists,
2020). The term “collection development” refers to the process
of systematically building library or archives collections to serve
study, teaching, research, recreational and other needs of
library users. The process includes selection and deselection of
current and retrospective materials, the planning of strategies
for continuing acquisition and evaluation of collections to
determine how well they serve user needs. Collection
development policy provides the means by which the library or
archives selects and manages its collection of information
resources. According to Sauer (2001), a collection development
is an advocacy tool that ensures that collections have a coherent
and well-defined focus. It is therefore not doubtful that a
collection development policy is an important aspect for the
preservation of AV archives.
6.6 Develop and implement a preservation policy
A preservation policy is an important tool in ensuring the
preservation of AV materials. The preservation of archives
needs to be operationalized within a dedicated preservation
policy framework. The policy provides a sense of direction
(Abrigo and Abrigo, 2010). Caravaca et al. (2014) aver that
preservation is an integral part of a cultural institution’s
mission, and preservation planning should be part of its overall
strategic management plan. The preservation policy
communicates both general and specific needs for the care of
collections are determined, priorities are established, and
resources for implementation are identified. Needs assessment
surveys are essential to preservation planning and must be
carried out before a plan is drafted (Caravaca et al., 2014).
Among the important components of the policy to be
integrated in the preservation policy as advocated for by
Feather (2004) are:
 history, ownership and function;
 financial and human resources; and
 the nature of the building that houses the collection.
For the policy to archive its intentions, it should be doable and
practicable, and administrative support is crucial (Abrigo and
Abrigo, 2014).
 Managing and preserving audio-visual archives
Donald Rakemane and Olefhile Mosweu
6.7 Develop and implement disaster preparedness plans
Disaster preparedness plan is one of the strategies that can be
used by library or archives institution to improve the preservation
and management of AV collections. A disaster is an unexpected
event which puts collections at risk. A disaster can be defined as
an unexpected event that kills people or cause a lot of damage.
Disaster planning is a matter of basic security for archives, their
staff and their collection. Disaster planning is an essential part of
any preservation programme to be implemented by an archival
institutions. Disasters, when allowed to occur, have bad
outcomes on the security of both collections and staff (Ayoung
et al., 2016). Records regardless of the medium or form they have
been created, require disaster preparedness plan. A formal
written plan enables an institution to respond efficiency and
quickly to an emergency, and to minimize damage to the building
and its contents. Disasters can be categorized into two elements:
natural and man-made disaster. Natural disasters include
rain and wind storms, floods, biological agents, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions. Man-made disasters include acts of war
and terrorism, fire, water, explosions, liquid chemical spills
and power failures. When developing a disaster plan for
archives, one must consider the prevention, preparedness,
response and recovery phases (Ayoung et al., 2016). AV
materials can completely be destroyed or damaged by fire.
AV materials such as photographs, microform, magnetic
media and other disk are also vulnerable to water
earthquakes. To effectively improve the management of AV
archives, an archival institution should develop a disaster
preparedness plan so as to respond quickly to an emergency
that than can occur. A study conducted by Ngulube and
Magazi (2006) revealed that public libraries in KwaZulu-
Natal, South Africa were not adequately prepared for
protecting documents against disasters and theft hence
putting documentary heritage at a high level of risk.
Similarly, to the situation in KwaZulu-Natal province of
South Africa, Hlabaangan and Mnjama (2008) found
similar challenges in the context of Botswana where various
information centres were found to be ill prepared for
disasters. Lack of preparedness for disasters result in loss of
documentary heritage in archival repositories.
6.8 Service equipment regularly
Many AV materials are damaged by equipment which is not
serviced and absolute. Mensah et al. (2017) stated that one of
the problem of preservation AV materials in Ghana was
obsolete equipment and failure of machines to playback. One
can therefore argue that if AV equipment is not properly and
regularly serviced, this may result in failure to access and view
information contained in AV recordings. The authors
therefore convinced that continuous servicing of AV
equipment with appropriate resources is one of the relief
measures that can be used by archival institutions in Sub
Saharan Africa. This initiative will enhance access to
information contained in AV materials overtime as well as
prolong their lives. In addition, AV equipment should
never be left running unattended, as this may damage the
equipment if something wrong happens with no one
present to remedy it. The South African Broadcasting
Corporation’s playback equipment is old, with some being
up to 35 years old. Although its maintenance is done on ad
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hoc basis and repaired when it breaks down, this enables
continued access to radio archives (Assmann and Mearns,
2015).
6.9 Digitalization of audio-visual materials
The mandate of heritage intuitions such as libraries, archives
and museum is to preserve societal heritage. Digitization can
therefore be used as an important strategy to backup copies of
AV materials. Digitization is the process of converting
information into digital format. Witten and David (2003)
defines digitization as the process of taking traditional library or
archives materials that are in form of books and papers and
converting them to the electronic form where they can be
stored and manipulated by a computer. According to Digital
Preservation Coalition (DPC) (2002), digital preservation
refers to a series of adopted management activities necessary to
ensure a continued access to digital materials for as long as
necessary. Digital material preservation therefore is a way of
preserving information materials which are referred to as digital
surrogates created as a result of converting analogue materials
to digital form (Kalusopa and Zulu, 2009). Hamooya Mulauzi
and Njobvu (2012) underscored that the main goal
digitalization is to:
[. . .] safeguard and ensure the preservation of the most valuable and
perishable components of the library and archival materials as well as make
them more accessible and facilitate their future fruition by a broader number
of researchers and interested parties.
Digitization is the only viable method for long-term
preservation, because, apart from carrier instability, dedicated
replay equipment is rapidly vanishing. The time window left for
the replay of audio and video originals may only be 15 years,
which adds urgency to the situation (Witten and David, 2003).
AV materials such Cassette Tapes, Open-Reel Tapes, SP
records, LP records, EP records and CDs have a risk of
becoming obsolete; therefore, digitalization can be used as
a strategy for improving their preservation and
management. Digitizing information makes it easier to
preserve, access, as well as to share information. AV
materials should be converted to an electronic or digital
format to improve their preservation, management and
accessibility in the future.
7. Conclusion and recommendations
It is evident from the literature that, the management and
preservation of AV materials is a neglected aspect in library and
archives institutions in Sub Saharan Africa. However, the
management and preservation of AV materials can be improved
through the following elements; controlling environment factors
such as temperature and relative humidity, developing disaster
preparedness plan, servicing audio visual equipment regularly,
establishing a collection development policy, provision of
education and training on AV materials, cleaning storage
environment regularly, digitalization and preservation of AV
materials and collaboration with other institutions. The following
are recommendations arising from the study:
 Some challenges facing archival repositories may be difficult
to be dealt with by archival repositories on their own, hence
it is recommended that collaboration be adopted as a viable
solution to solving them. Collaboration promotes more cost-
 Managing and preserving audio-visual archives
Donald Rakemane and Olefhile Mosweu
effective ways of operating through shared infrastructure,
facilities, hardware and software.
 Archival repositories should develop and implement
disaster management plans to safeguard AV materials.
 Archival agencies should train their staff and users on
proper handling of AV materials.
 Archival repositories should control the environmental
within which AV materials are preserved.
 Archival repositories should digitize their AV collections
to have backup copies of such materials, and as a strategy
to deal with technological obsolescence of equipment.
 Archival agencies should source funds from stakeholders
with vested interests in the management and preservation
of heritage, including AV materials.
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Corresponding author
Donald Rakemane can be contacted at: demandrakemane@
gmail.com

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