A major challenge facing the collection of
audiovisual materials in the country pertains to
storage. In virtually all the repositories visited over
several years by the author, it was established that
audiovisual materials are kept under the same
environmental conditions as traditional archives.
These observations are similar to those of Kukubo
(1986), Matangira (2003) and Abankwah (2007).
Botswana as a country has two climatic extremes.
The summers are very hot and dry with
temperatures rising up to 40 degrees Celsius, while
winters are dry and very cold with temperatures
falling to zero in the evenings and in the early
morning (Botswana Review, 2002). These
fluctuations in temperature are not ideal for the
management of audiovisual materials. An earlier
study carried out by the Standing Committee on
Preservation and Conservation revealed inadequate
storage conditions inmost of the information centres
surveyed (Monageng, 1997). Apart from the
National Archives, Radio Botswana and Botswana
Television Station that have purpose-built buildings,
many of the other information centres are currently
housed in buildings not designed for the storage of
audiovisual materials. It is advisable to store
audiovisual materials in institutions where
appropriate storage and handling equipment is
available. Indeed experience gained inMozambique
indicates that it makes economic sense for national
archival institutions to relinquish any attempts to bring
in its custody audio-visual materials. This is a view
supported by Derges (1998:64) who argued that
“filmwas not stored at the National archives, but at
the National Film Institute. This was a good use of
resources because the Film Institute had a
laboratory and it had cold rooms and all editing and
viewing equipment. If the National Archives had
taken upon itself to store film, they would have had
to duplicate all these resources at great cost.” This
article suggests that Botswana should follow suit
and allow Botswana Television and Radio Botswana
to retain audiovisual materials as these institutions
have cold rooms and the equipment that is needed.
However, as the department charged with the
responsibility for collecting and preserving records,
the National Archives should set standards and
guidelines which should be regularly monitored for
compliance.
A major challenge facing the collection of
audiovisual materials in the country pertains to
storage. In virtually all the repositories visited over
several years by the author, it was established that
audiovisual materials are kept under the same
environmental conditions as traditional archives.
These observations are similar to those of Kukubo
(1986), Matangira (2003) and Abankwah (2007).
Botswana as a country has two climatic extremes.
The summers are very hot and dry with
temperatures rising up to 40 degrees Celsius, while
winters are dry and very cold with temperatures
falling to zero in the evenings and in the early
morning (Botswana Review, 2002). These
fluctuations in temperature are not ideal for the
management of audiovisual materials. An earlier
study carried out by the Standing Committee on
Preservation and Conservation revealed inadequate
storage conditions inmost of the information centres
surveyed (Monageng, 1997). Apart from the
National Archives, Radio Botswana and Botswana
Television Station that have purpose-built buildings,
many of the other information centres are currently
housed in buildings not designed for the storage of
audiovisual materials. It is advisable to store
audiovisual materials in institutions where
appropriate storage and handling equipment is
available. Indeed experience gained inMozambique
indicates that it makes economic sense for national
archival institutions to relinquish any attempts to bring
in its custody audio-visual materials. This is a view
supported by Derges (1998:64) who argued that
“filmwas not stored at the National archives, but at
the National Film Institute. This was a good use of
resources because the Film Institute had a
laboratory and it had cold rooms and all editing and
viewing equipment. If the National Archives had
taken upon itself to store film, they would have had
to duplicate all these resources at great cost.” This
article suggests that Botswana should follow suit
and allow Botswana Television and Radio Botswana
to retain audiovisual materials as these institutions
have cold rooms and the equipment that is needed.
However, as the department charged with the
responsibility for collecting and preserving records,
the National Archives should set standards and
guidelines which should be regularly monitored for
compliance.
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