Liberia. Unesco. Government Archives and Records Service - the William V.S. Tubman Library Museum. Restricted FR/PP/CONSULTANT

Transcription

1 Restricted FR/PP/CONSULTANT Liberia Government Archives and Records Service - the William V.S. Tubman Library Museum July - September 1974 by H.E. Angel Serial No. 3119/RMO.RD/DBA Paris, January 1975 Unesco

2 CONTENTS Pages Mission. 3 General 3 Allocation of time 3 Archives and records of the Llberian Government ij. Previous missions k National Archives and Records Service 5 History 6 Present situation 6 Survey of agency records holdings 8 Procedures followed 8 Statistical findings 10 Meeds disclosed by the records survey 11 Adequate space for records, 11 Adequate equipment and supplies for records 12 Programme for the distribution of publications...^. 15 New agency to administer archives and records. Ik Additional staffing and training for personnel operating archives and records programmes 15 Recommendations on archives and records management 16 William V.S. Tubman Library-Museum 21 Previous missions 21 History and background of the Library «Museum. 22 Methods followed. 2k Present situation 2k Mission and operations 2k Building and equipment. 27 Staffing 28 Organizational status 28 Recommendations on the Tubman Library-Museum 29 Appendixes I. Presidential letter of 5 August 197^ requesting co-operation with the mission H. Records holdings of Llberian Government agencies III. Preliminary drawing for a proposed Intermediate Records IV. Site plans for a proposed Intermediate Records Centre Centre V. Organization Chart for a proposed Central Archives and Records Agency Serial No. J119

3 - 3 - MISSION General At the request of the Government of Liberia, a two-month consultant mission in archives to Liberia was approved within the Unesco Participation Programme The terms of reference for this mission, approved in July 1974, directed the consultant, acting upon the instructions of the Director-General of Unesco, and in close co-operation with the authorities of Liberia, to 1. draw up a medium term plan for the reorganization of the country's Central National Archives in Monrovia; 2. establish the Archives Section of the W.V.S. Tubman Presidential Library in Harper, Cape Palmas; 3«submit a report with recommendations at the end of the mission. The mission was carried out between 21 July and 23 October 1974, with an agreed-upon suspension between l8 September and 19 October for the personal convenience of the consultant. Allocation of Time The shortness of time between approval of the consultancy and the consultant's departure from Washington, D.C. on 21 July permitted only the briefest familiarization with previous similar missions to Liberia. This information was supplemented by further briefing at Unesco in Paris on 22 and 23 July. Actual work in Liberia began with the consultant's arrival in Monrovia on the night of 24 July. At that time he was Joined by his designated Liberian counterpart, the Honorable J. H. Deyior Wilson, Assistant Minister of Education for Science and Technical Education, and also Acting Director of the William V.S. Tubman Library-Museum at Harper, Cape Palmes, Liberia, who was his constant associate until the consultant's departure from Liberia on 18 September. The initial days in Liberia were spent in further briefing on earlier missions, including those in related library and museum work, and in developing a more specific programme for the mission. The following week of 29 July was devoted chiefly to visits to officials, both Liberian and foreign, who might be able to provide either information or other assistance to the mission. Liberian contacts included those with the Ministry of Education, which provided office space, local transportation, and other logistical support; the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, to which the Tubman Library-Museum reports; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of which the Central National Archives is a part; the General Services Agency, which provides office space, equipment, supplies, and transportation for government agencies; and the Liberian Institute of Public Administration and the University of Liberia, which have the capability of providing academic and technical training in archival and records work. Non-Liberian contacts were made with the Office of The ffcesident^ Representative^ of the United Nations Development Programme, and with officials of the United States Embassy likely to be Interested in the mission, including the Ambassador and his staff, and officials of the Public Affairs Office, the Cultural Affairs Office, the Agency for International Development, and the Peace Corps. Preparations were also made for a broad, general survey of the location, nature, quantity, and condition of Liberian Government archives and records when it became apparent that such information Serial No. 3119

4 - k - could not be furnished by existing agencies. As part of these preparations, a pilot survey was begun of the records of the Ministry of Education. During the week of 5 August, President W.R. Tolbert, Jr. gave the mission indispensable assistance by sending personal letters to the heads of 16 ministries and 7 autonomous agencies describing the purpose of the mission and directing the officials to assist and co-operate in providing the necessary data to accomplish these objectives (Appendix I). With the support of these directives, the consultant and his counterpart conducted an intensive survey of the archives and records of executive agencies of the Liberian Government between 5 August and 20 August, and 28 August through 13 September. This survey will be described later in more detail. During the same periods further visits were also made to agencies which might help in providing buildings, equipment, and training whose need was becoming apparent. The survey and visits were interrupted between 21 August and 27 August by a trip to the Tubman Library-Museum in Harper to assemble information on that part of the mission. On the same trip surveys were made of archives and records of government agencies in Harper, Maryland County, and Greenville, Sinoe County, A brief visit was also made on 1 September to the Tubman Museum at Totota, owned and managed by Mrs. William V.S. Tubman, widow of the late President. Farewell visits, including those to the Ministries of Education, Foreign Affairs, and Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, plus tying up loose ends and revising statistics and recommendations, occupied 16 and 17 September in preparation for the consultant's departure on the morning of 18 September. Other last minute activities involved participation by the consultant and his counterpart on 16 September in a live television panel discussion of the mission and in a newspaper interview on the same subject published in The Liberian Age for 20 September, which supplemented an earlier interview in the same paper published 6 August at the beginning of the archives and records survey. Throughout the entire period of the mission, weekends and nights were largely devoted to the assembling of data, the development of recommendations, and frequent conferences between the consultant and his counterpart. It must be said at this time that the consultant, in ko years of governmental service, has had the privilege of working with few individuals who matched his counterpart for ability, energy, perseverance, devotion to the project at hand, broad and detailed knowledge of the functions of governmental agencies, and wide acquaintance and unooncealed respect among his fellow government officials. Without these unique qualities of his counterpart, the consultant is convinced that the mission would have been unable in the time available to cover the subject matter in this report. Following the agreed-upon hiatus in the mission, the consultant returned to Paris on 20 October, reported to Unesco for debriefing on 21 and 22 October, and returned to Washington, D.C. on 23 October. ARCHIVES AND RECORDS OF THE LIBERIAN GOVERNMENT Previous Missions A j\ The mission just concluded is the fourth in the last five years to deal with the archives of Liberia. The earlier missions were as follows: January 1969 Morris Reiger, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Council on Archives Serial No. 3119

5 - 5 This mission, one of a series of visits to African countries by Mr. Reiger, lasted five days. During this time Mr. Rieger visited the Central National Archives in the Department of State and other related agencies and conferred with the Secretary of State and the Director of the Arohives regarding the condition of the archives» Mr. Rieger urged the establishment of a records centre, construction of an archives building, and other measures to improve the archives, but presented no formal report. He received the impression that the officials were favourably disposed toward the improvements recommended. No action appears to have been taken. April 1971 Alfred Wagner, Programme Specialist in Archives, Division for the Development of Documentation, Libraries and Archives Services, Unesco Three days in length, this mission covered Liberian archives, libraries, and the Tubman Library-Museum. Conferences were held with officials of the Departments of State, Education, Information and Cultural Affairs, and Planning and Economic Affairs, and the Liberian National Commission for Unesco. In the archives section of his report, Dr. Wagner recommended an archives building to be constructed by Liberia; archives and fumigation equipment to be provided by Unesco; expert services also to be provided by Unesco for (1) planning tfo«archives building (2 months), (2) reorganizing the archives administration and building up a records management system (12 months), (3) installing and organizing technical services (fumigation, restoration, reprography) and training required technicians (k months); and (k) 3 fellowships of 12 months each for training abroad, 1 international and 2 in the proposed regional training centre for archivists from English-speaking Africa. No action appears to have been taken. February 1975 Prank B, Evans, Assistant to the Archivist of the United States of America Charles Kecskemeti, Executive Secretary of the International Council on Archives Financed by the Liberian Government, this 19-day mission dealt with both the National Arohives and Records Service in Monrovia and the Tubman Library- Museum in Harper. Conferences were held with officials at the Ministries of Education, Foreign Affairs, and Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, in addition to a visit to the Tubman Library-Museum. An extensive report of nearly 200 pages, including Introductory material and appendixes, was submitted to President Tolbert through the Acting Director of the Tubman Library-Museum, Mr. Wilson. Five major recommendations were made regarding archival functions: 1. A reorganization and relocation of the National Archives and Records Service, and publication and distribution to all government agencies of the revised laws governing records, records management, and archives. 2. Construction, at the earliest possible date, of an adequate specialpurpose National Archives Building. 3. Until such a building has been constructed, allocation to the reorganized archival agency of a centrally-located building of safe construction and sufficient storage capacity to serve as a temporary National Archives and Records Centre. Serial No.?119

6 - 6 - k. Development of a comprehensive training programme for professional archivists, archives technicians, records management specialists, and agency records officers. 5. Engagement of a Unesco consultant to prepare a medium-term outline plan for implementing the above recommendations, with the assistance at a later date, through on-the-spot review and consultation, of the members of the present mission. Of these recommendations only one, for a Unesco consultant to prepare a mediumterm outline plan for archival improvements, has been adopted thus far. The present report, summarizing the findings and recommendations of the fourth mission concerned with archival matters, is a product of the consultancy recommended. National Archives and Records Service. History Article III of the Liberian Constitution of 26 July lßkf assigned the function of keeping government records to the Department of State, now known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A law of 18 December 1911 reorganizing the Department of State established a Bureau of Archives, Patents, Copyright and Trademarks. This organization continued until 15 February 1959» when it was superseded by a bureau in that Department designated as the Central National Archives. The 1959 law was patterned in general after archival legislation then in effect in the United States of America. Responsibility for Registrars of Deeds was transferred to the Archives from the Department of Justice in Further revisions in organization and functions were made by a new omnibus executive law enacted 11 May Chapter 20 of this law oodified the existing basic archives law; redesignated the archival organization as the National Archives and Records Service but retained the name of Central National Archives for the repository in Monrovia; authorized local archives for counties, territories, and chartered districts; authorized the acceptance of papers and other historical materials of any President or former President of Liberia or of any other official or former official of the government; authorized the establishment and operation of records centres and centralized microfilming service for government agencies; and gave the Director of the National Archives and Records Service supervision over Registrars of Marriages as well as Registrars of Deeds. Chapter 8l of the same law plaoed responsibilities on the director and on the heads of government agencies for the management of government records, and for the first time made provisions for the disposal of records still in the custody of government agencies. Like the 1959 law, the 1972 law generally followed contemporary practices in the United States. Present situation As previously indicated, the function of issuing doctiraents such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks was assigned to the Bureau of Archives as early as I9II, and the issuance of corporation certificates was added later. As the volume of these documents has increased there has also been a growing demand for assignments, amendments, renewals, and certifications of these papers. Land records, wills, and other instruments entered in volumes received from the Recorders of Deeds have likewise increased in quantity, with a corresponding growth in requests for copies. The Director of Archives estimated in a memorandum to the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs on 5 October 1975 that corporate, patent, and trademark affairs, plus constant research and issuing copies of documents, consume 90 per cent Serial No. 3119

7 - 7 - of the working time of the Ik staff members, leaving very little time available for archival work. The director in his annual reports since 1955 has repeatedlyasked, without suocess, that the non-archival duties be transferred elsewhere or that additional staff be employed, pointing out that annual fees collected for these services consistently equal and occasionally are double the annual cost of the archives staff. This unfortunate situation, coupled with the meagre archival training of the few persons who can be assigned to such work, has prevented almost any progress during recent years in professional activities, such as the preparation of inventories and indexes. There is no inventory of the holdings of the Central National Archives in Monrovia, which amount to 2,168 linear feet of records according to a quick survey by the consultant and his counterpart. A more detailed survey by the consultant, with the assistance of several archives staff members, indicates that the Archives Service at present is not primarily national in nature. It does have 23 linear feet of records of the exeoutive branch, 65 feet from the legislative branch, 23 feet from the courts, and 199 feet of land records. Most of the other records that could be identified appear to have originated in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - diplomatic correspondence, copies of commissions, credentials, oaths of office, and indemnity bonds - or in the Archives Service itself in connexion with its work on patents, trade-marks, and corporations. The major difficulty in acquiring a better picture of the holdings is the archives space situation. Apart from some valuable historical documents kept in the office of the Chief of Consular Affairs for safety, the archives are stored in three locations: in a converted residence across the street from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that has been fitted with shelving which is completely filled; in a storage room on the first floor of the Ministry building; and in a storage house in the garden of the Ministry. In the last two locations, 1,315 linear feet of the 2,168 feet of records in the entire archives are piled several feet high on the floor, in no containers of any kind, with no aisles, and in no discernible order. This situation has been aggravated by four moves of the archives, in 195S, 1959* I960, *nd In these eirouraetances th* servio* Is obviously in nö position to accept additional records fro» any quarter without piling more records on the floor. Most of the reference service on the archives has been to persons seeking copies of deeds, wills, agreements, court decrees, and other documents, and to officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on records originating there. The archives staff could recall only three serious scholars who had consulted the records since Another difficulty facing Hie archives is a lack of funds, which have been sought year after year. The total 197^ budget for the Central National Archives is #»8,735 - just 1.2 per cent of the 197^ budget for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. All of the Archives Service budget is for the payment of salaries, except for $100 which is earmarked for the operation of the archives vehicle. Any other archives expenditures must be financed from other Ministry funds, which are difficult to obtain. Several examples can be cited of operational difficulties caused by lack of funds,. A microfilm reader-printer has been unusable since August 1972 for want of* a part costing fök, which has been requested three times; as a result, oopies of documents must be made by typewriter and not photographically. Micro-filming of 609 volumes of old land reoords, many in fragile and deteriorating condition, has been suspended for over a year for want of film for the camera. Purchase of long-sought humidifiers to arrest further deterioration of records was approved in August 1973» but they have not been received. Serial No. 3119

8 - 8 - Beset by these difficulties, the Archives Service has been unable to undertake many of the responsibilities placed upon it by the 1959 and 1972 laws. As already mentioned, transfer of records from other agencies to the archives has virtually ceased. The Archives Servioe has had neither the staff nor the capability to assist other agencies with their records management problems; in fact, it has little or no knowledge of them. And appointment of the National Archives and Records Council authorized in 1972 and other related measures needed to enable agencies to dispose of unneeded records have not been accomplished. Survey of agency records holdings Procedures followed Before any plan could be drawn up for the reorganization of the Central National Archives, it was necessary not only to study that institution and its activities but also to obtain information about the nature, quantity, distribution, condition and storage of records in the government agencies the Archives was expected to serve. Early in the mission it became apparent that such information was not available from the Archives itself. The Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs furnished figures on the number of employees in each agency, which gave a rough idea of where records might be created or accumulated. The General Services Agency, however, was unable to provide information on the square footage of offioe space or storage space in each agency, or on the amount of filing equipment owned or purchased annually by each agency, figures that would have been helpful in pinpointing major records accumulations In the government. The most useful tool found, however, was the Budget Bureau's printed 197^ budget covering all agencies. For each agency this volume gave a statement of functions, usually broken down by bureaux, divisions, and smaller units, and the budget for each, broken down in the same way, and further divided into figures for personnel and other specified expenditures. Finally, for each unit and subunit, the volume listed the title of each position, the number of persons in each position of that nature, and the salaries. With this information it was possible to determine which agencies and which subdivisions of agencies were likely to be creating or assembling records and also to forecast what positions would probably be involved in recordkeeping on a full-time or part-time basis. It was next determined to test the feasibility of obtaining the desired information on records from the government agencies themselves In the short time span of the mission. Written questionnaires filled out by the agencies themselves were immediately ruled out as impractical. A questionnaire to be used in personal visits to the agencies by the consultant and his counterpart was then considered. A proposed questionnaire developed by the Evans-Kecskemeti mission and two shorter ones designed by the consultant were also considered and rejected because of their complexity, the last after a brief trial in the Ministry of Education with "aie permission of the Minister. The worksheet which finally evolved and was used by the consultant and his counterpart after testing in the Ministry of Education consisted of a sheet of paper with eight columns to contain the following information: Column Data Required 1 Name of each subdivision of the agency to be surveyed, obtained from the * budget volume and modified as necessary as the survey progressed. Serial Ho. 5119

9 - 9 - Column Data Required 2 Year date of the earliest document found In the files of each subdivision. The most recent date in active files would of course be *-. Inclusive dates of closed files proved to be too difficult to determine in the time available. 3 Number of file cabinets in each subdivision, with no distinction made for the number of drawers or whether the cabinet was for legal-size or letter-size papers. It was arbitrarily assumed that each cabinet held eight linear feet of records, because most file drawers examined were Jammed absolutely full with papers. K Number of cupboards, regardless of size, used in each subdivision for records storage. These were usually about four feet wide, five to six feet high, contained five shelves, and were arbitrarily assumed to hold 20 linear feet of records. 5 Number of other records storage containers - safes, boxes, map and plan files, tub files, and so on - in each subdivision. A note of the approximate linear footage of the contents was also entered on the worksheet. 6 Linear feet of shelving occupied by records In each subdivision, each foot on each shelf being counted separately. 7 Por any records not gtered on shelving or not in containers of any kind in each subdivision, an estimate of the linear footage of shelving which would be required to hold the records. Such records were often piled on cabinets, desks, and floors, or dumped in closets, storage rooms, basements, and warehouses. 8. Total of the linear footage of records in each subdivision, obtained by computing and adding the figures in oolumns 3, k, 5, 6, and 7. While this survey worksheet was being developed, the consultant's counterpart r-equested President Tolbert to send letters to the heads of executive agencies explaining the mission and asking their co-operation in its work. Such letters were sent to 16 ministries and 7 autonomous agenoies (see Appendix I) and were invaluable in achieving the objective desired. Appointments to conduct the survey in their agencies were made successively with those who received the letters. Following an initial interview with the head of an agency or his deputy, the consultant and his counterpart would then proceed to the various subdivisions of the agency in company with some official or employee designated because of his knowledge of the agency and its records. Whenever possible files were examined first in the offices of the head of the agency and his deputy and then in the agenoy central files before moving along to other offices. In each office some of its employees assisted the consultant and his counterpart in obtaining the dates and statistics needed, usually opening a number of file containers in the process. Essentially the same procedure was followed in each subdivision of the agenoy until all offices likely to have records had been visited. Serial No. 3119

10 As the survey was completed in each agency, which took from a few hours to several days depending on the size, complexity, and physical locations of the agency, a recapitulation was made of the dates and statistics for the agency and its subdivisions. When all agencies had been covered, a consolidated table was prepared, which is reproduced as Appendix II of this report. Several factors should be kept in mind in analysing the information in this consolidated table. First, the table does not cover all Government records in Liberia. It is limited to records of all the ministries and major autonomous agencies in the executive branch of the Government in Monrovia and to records of government agencies in Harper, the capital of Maryland County, and Greenville, the capital of Sinoe County, all of which were actually visited and seen by the consultant and his counterpart. It does not include records in the Executive Mansion, in the legislative and Judicial branches of the government, in the city government of Monrovia, or in the remaining seven counties, all of which were not surveyed. Seoond, in the pressure of the survey, some records were undoubtedly overlooked, but the quantity cannot be large and would not affect the figures significantly. And third, the linear footage figures are conservative estimates, not the result of precise measurements, and hence are likely to be somewhat lower than exact figures would be. Even so, it is believed that the survey covered at least two-thirds of all Liberian Government records, certainly a high enough percentage on which to base recommendations. Statistical findings Although the first settlement in Liberia was made in 1822 and constitutional government dates from 18^7, the survey found no records more than 50 years old except in the Central National Archives and in the files of the Superintendent's Office in Greenville, Sinoe County, where one item was dated in The older records in the Archives came from all three branches of the government» executive, legislative, and Judicial - but probably did not exceed a total of 100 linear feet. Only seven ministries had any records more than ko years old, and the files of most ministries and agencies began after President Tubman took office in 19*0. Within the individual ministries and agencies the older files tend to be in the central files, as might be expeoted. Files in operating offices are rarely more than 10 to 20 years old. Many offices try to keep only papers dated in the last 2 or 3 years in their active files. The survey found about 30 percent of all reoords were stored in file cabinets, usually steel. They occupied 1,1*81 cabinets, which, if replaced at today*s average price of $175 each in Liberia, would cost about $260,000. The cabinets have had hard usage, and over half are in need of repair. Drawer handles and follow blocks are broken or missing, drawer rollers and extension arms are Jammed or inoperable, fronts of drawers and sometimes whole drawers are missing, outer walls are dented or rusted, and the contents of entire oabinets are unknown because keys have been lost or misplaced for months or years. Another 10 percent of the records are kept in 206 wood or steel cupboards, most of which have shelves and closing doors. Like the file oabinets, some of the cupboards are also in disrepair. Still another 10 percent of the records are housed in a variety of 506 other containers ranging from insulated safes to flimsy boxes and including specialized cabinets for maps and plans, cards, and film. Steel or wood shelving is very popular and is used for a little more than 20 percent of the reoords. For the most part this shelving is open on the front Serial No. 2119

11 and sometimes on the back as well. Records are occasionally further protected by being bound, wrapped, or placed in cardboard containers. In other cases the records may be tied in bundles or simply placed loose on the shelves. Least protected of all, however, are records having no shelving or containers whatever. These records total nearly 30 percent of all those surveyed. They are v piled wherever space can be found for them, on desks, tables, cabinets, and other furniture, and on floors in offices, closets, basements, and warehouses. In several notable cases the records have been piled carelessly or even dumped so as to cover large areas two or more feet deep with papers. In extreme cases some of these records are located in open areas to which many people have acoess, or in areas where rain and drainage from the outside can reach them. Such greatly endangered records must be rescued promptly if they are not to be lost. In all, the survey covered 39,656 linear feet of records, enough to fill a single shelf 7«5 miles long. These records were located in 502 different subdivisions of the ministries and agencies visited. The names and titles of the officials interviewed in these subdivisions are omitted in the interest of brevity; many of them were recorded, however, by the consultant's counterpart. Needs disclosed by the records survey All the information assembled during the records survey was by no means. statistical in nature. Certain major deficiencies became increasingly apparent. Among these were the need of adequate space, equipment, and supplies for the storage of records; a programme for the distribution of publications, hundreds of which were found among the records; a new aggressive, competent, and properly supported agency to administer the archives and records of Liberia; and additional staffing and training for personnel to operate effective records programmes both in the Archives and in the government agencies. Findings, possible corrective measures, and steps taken toward fulfilling these needs will be summarized briefly. Adequate space for records. The survey found impressive quantities of records in government office and storage space. Almost invariably there was insufficient space for both records and personnel in the office space; in many of the storage areas records were packed so tightly that access by personnel was difficult or even impossible. Besides being crowded, the records were frequently unidentified, especially the older ones, and showed signs of damage by insects, rodents, accumulated dust and dirt, and sometimes by humidity and actual inflow of water. In these circumstances many of the reoords could be used only with great difficulty, items desired could not be located readily, and as a result the knowledge to be gained from the records about past activities was not available. The description of these conditions is not overdrawn and can be corroborated by inspection of the records and by discussion with files personnel and their superiors. The overriding need is to decrease the quantity of records in both agency office and storage space. This can be done most effectively by the transfer of records not needed in current operations to specialized records storage areas and the outright destruction of records ideírtíyiéü äs being without further value. Unfortunately both of these avenues are closed at present to Liberian Government agencies: The present Archives has no space for additional records, and the machinery for disposing of records authorized by the 1972 records law has not been set in motion. Temporary storage space is needed immediately for the housing of records endangered by their present storage conditions, some of which have already been described. Almost all reoords in this situation would be among those tabulated Serial No. 3119

12 12 - in the survey as having no shelving or containers of any kind. These endangered records require an available, secure, and wsatherproof building, cardboard cartons to hold the records, and wood pallets on which to store the boxes. Minimum personnel and transportation equipment are also needed to pack and move the records to safety. Such a building which could be vacated was found at the CARE warehouse at Tembo, and the cost of cardboard cartons and wood pallets was obtained before the consultant left Liberia from the National Archives and Records Service in Washington and the Liberian Ministry of Public Works, respectively. Medium term, the need is for an intermediate records storage depository, usually known as a records centre in the many countries which have already established such facilities. Such structures and their operation are described by A.W. Mabbs and Guy Duboscq in the 197^ Unesco manual entitled The Organization of Intermediate Records Storage. At the request of the consultant and his counterpart, the Minister of Public Works had his architectural staff make a preliminary drawing of a small building of this type, so designed that the basic structure could be repeated and Joined to the building if expansion becanw iwxsessttry. Public Works also prepared a site plan showing how the basic building and any extension» of it could be fitted on either a one-acre or two-acre tract of land, an estimate -of the cost of constructing the building, and an estimate of the cost of wood shelves to be placed on steel framework in the building. The preliminary drawing and the site plans for the proposed intermediate records centre are reproduced as Appendixes H I and IV of this report. Cost estimates for the steel framework and for essential equipment in the centre were likewise obtained from the National Archives and Records Service in Washington before the consultant left Liberia. With respect to the land required, the Minister of Lands and Mines agreed to check on the availability of land, preferably government owned, in suitable locations near government agencies in Monrovia and on good transportation routes. Initially the reoords centre would provide for the storage of some archives as well as for records not needed currently in agencies but not yet eligible either for transfer to the Archives or outright disposal as having no further value. After the long-term needs for archival space are better known, probably in 1976 or later, plans could be developed for a modern archives building embodying the most desirable features for the preservation of the permanently valuable records of the Liberian Government. Concurrently with the acquisition and occupation of adequate records storage space, the initiation of a Vigorous records disposal programme is essential. The records disposal provisions of the 197a law require the issuance of regulations on the subject by the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Sections 8l.7 and 81.8) and the appointment of members of a National Archivfee and Records Council from the executive, legislative, and Judieial branches of the government (Section 20.50) to review agency requests for records disposal before any such disposal can occur. The law is unduly cumbersome but if implemented could result in some record adisposai and would be better than no law at all. Ideally, however, a more simple law is needed, and disposal laws of other countries were obtained for comparative purposes from Unesco, the Public Record Office in London, and the National Archives and Records Service in Washington before the consultant left Liberia. With effective disposal procedures, many blocks of records could be safely approved for disposal, thereby easing critical reoords storage situations. Adequate equipment and supplies for records. Mention has already been made of the poor condition of about half the filing cabinets occupied by records and of many of the cupboards used for records storage. In addition, nearly every agency has broken or inoperable filing equipment stored away on its premises. The replacement value of all this equipment is well over a quarter of a million dollars. Serial No. 5119

13 - 1} - One or two agencies in the past have had some of their filing equipment rehabilitated by a commercial organization in Monrovia for about 10 per cent of replacement cost, but the company no longer accepts such work. If the government should undertake this task itself, through some agency like the General Services Agency, which now rebuilds and repairs automobile bodies and furniture, large quantities of unusable filing equipment would become usable again, with the avoidance of the high replacement costs of steel items. Agencies should not be allowed to buy new filing equipment if they can rehabilitate their own equipment or obtain rehabilitated equipment from the agency doing this work for the government. The filing cabinets seen during the survey came from a number of manufacturers in several different countries and varied in quality and durability from very good to very poor. Cabinets came with a needless variety in the number of drawers - 1, 2, 3> ^ and 5«Most cabinets now purchased for government agencies are legal-size, taking papers 8V2 by 1^ inches, but most paper used in government offices is no larger than 8V2 by 11 inches, which fits comfortably in letter-size cabinets that are less expensive than the larger legal-size. This suggests that filing oabinets purchased in the future should be standardized in a single quality and size and perhaps should be purchased from a single company in order to get the best price and value and to facilitate maintenance and repair. The survey also noticed many instances where expensive filing cabinets were used for the storage of office stationery, forms, and supplies as well as for items of clothing and other personal belongings. Cupboards, lockers, and other containers are less expensive and more suitable than file cabinets for these artioles, and employees should be so instructed. What has been said about the standardization of sizes and qualities and the utilization of filing equipment also applies with equal force to filing supplies. Wide variations were noted in the quality and cost of file folders and file guides - variations that were not related to the value or importance of the files. Programme for the distribution of publications. Intermingled among the records seen during the survey were large quantities of publications, and some filing equipment contained publications exclusively. Many of these publications were issued by agencies of the Liberian Government, a few were non-government publications issued in Liberia, and many more were publications of foreign origin received or filed for one reason or another by government agencies. No complete set of Liberian Government publications, and in fact only a relatively small and incomplete collection of such publications, was found in the Central National Archives, the National Library, the Library of the University of Liberia, or the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism. Despite the request in President Tubman's message of 1965 that a copy of each publication produced in Liberia should be deposited with the University of Liberia and the Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, no such collections exist in those agencies. Yet more general libraries, like the National Library and the Library of the University of Liberia, are constantly seeking to expand their collections despite shortages of funds. The foregoing circumstances underscore the need for a programme for the disposition and use of publications, government and otherwise, found among records that are identified for disposal or publications no longer wanted by the various government agencies. The programme could also extend to new publications as they are issued by government agencies, which now must be sought separately by each library. With respect for Liberian Government publications, past and future, a master file should be assembled by the Central National Archives as the printed archives Serial No. 5119

14 - Il* - of the nation, a practice that is being increasingly adopted by national archives in other countries for publications of their governments, The Archives Service could also serve as the focal point for assembling and distributing copies of all future government publications to an agreed-upon list of depository libraries in Liberia that would be interested in reoeiving such publications. Moreover, as surplus government publications of previous years turned up among old records marked for disposal, these too could be made available to interested depository libraries. Finally, surplus non-governmental Liberian publications and foreign publications in general which come to "the attention of the Archives could be turned over to the National Library for the most effective distribution to libraries throughout Liberia. The list of depository libraries for Liberian Government publications would of course have to be developed. Logical candidates, taking geographical factors into consideration, would include not only the Central National Archives but also the National Library, the Library of the University of Liberia, and the Library of the Institute of Public Affairs, all in Monrovia, the William V.S. Tubman Library-Museum in Harper, Maryland County, the Tubman Centre for Afrioan Studies in Grand Cape Mount County, and Cuttington College in Bong County. New agency to administer archives and records. The archives and records needs discussed in this section and earlier in this report can be met only if they are the responsibility of an aggressive, oompetent, interested, and well-supported government agency. No existing Liberian Government agency seems to meet all of these specifications. The difficulties encountered by the Central National Archives in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have already been described at some length. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has had the responsibility for Government records for over 120 years, since l8v T, and has had one of its subdivisions with that particular responsibility for over 60 years, since Yet the Ministry is unable to provide more than 1.2. percent of its budget for the Archives, and most of that is for non-archival functions. Two other existing agencies are possibilities, but they present drawbacks. The Ministry of Education, with a 197Û budget of $11,287,802, is responsible for the National Library, whose budget is $20,383, or 0.l8 of 1 per cent of the Ministry budget. Conditions in the National Library do not seem to have improved greatly since the reports of missions in I967 and 1971» apart from what appears to be a very active children's library. It is unlikely that this Ministry could find much time or interest in an archives and records programme. The final possibility is the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, which administers the William V.S. Tubman Library-Museum. This relationship will be treated more fully in the final part of this report. It is plain that the primary interest of this Ministry is information. The Tubman Library- Museum has a 197^ budget of $17,727» which is 2.2 per cent of the Ministry's budget of $810,386. The National Museum on Providence Island fares but little better, with a $18,89^ budget. The National Museum, it will be recalled, has been closed since May or June 1973* when a storm washed out a small foot bridge connecting Providence Island with Monrovia and severed water and electric lines to the Island. The foot bridge had been reopened by September 197^> but the Museum was still without water or eleotricity and was still unopened. The Ministry hopes to have the Museum back in operation with the coming of the dry season in November or December 197^ With its other interests, this Ministry should not be asked to take archival and records responsibilities, with which it is unfamiliar. What is needed is a completely autonomous agency which can concentrate on archives and records work and nothing else. It could take over from the Central National Archives the archives and document recording functions which are now performed to some extent and the records management and records centre responsibilities which are not performed at all. It could also take over the Tubman Serial No. 3119

15 15 Library-Museum from the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism and place it with similar functions without detracting from the importance of the Ministry. Finally, the new organization could be the focal point for the distribution of government publications, past as well as future, to depository libraries. An organization chart for the proposed new agency appears as Appendix V of this report. This new organisation could deal directly with the President and with the other ministries and agencies it would serve without the delays inevitable in going through several layers of the bureaucracy. If results are wanted, an autonomous agency offers the greatest likelihood of their being achieved. Additional staffing and training for personnel operating archives and records programmes. Organizational changes can facilitate the performance of a function, but successful operation requires the employment of a sufficiently large, wellqualified, and well-trained staff. Such staffs are not now present in the Central National Archives or in the records functions of other government agencies. In the Archives, no staff member has the academic background usually expected of archivists, and none has had more than the equivalent of a few weeks of full-time technical or professional archival training. In the other government agencies, the heads of the central files generally seem to be knowledgeable, experienced, and dedicated to their work, but the average employee responsible for files throughout the agencies is low paid and lacks both background and training for the work. To operate the proposed archives and records programme, two well-qualified Liberians with good academic backgrounds should be selected and sent abroad, preferably to the United States, for six months to one year of technical, professional, and on-the-job training, one in archives work and one in records management. At least two qualified Junior persons should also be selected and sent for shorter periods of time for technical and on-the-job training in the institution expected to begin operations under Unesco auspices in 1975 for the archival training of persons from English-speaking countries in Africa. While these qualified persons are being technically and professionally trained, one or two foreign archives and records management specialists should be obtained for one-year or two-year tours of duty to get the proposed programme in operation and turn it over to the Liberians when they return from abroad. In the other government agencies, records management indoctrination and training should occur at four levels. At the level of Assistant Minister for Administration or Director of Administration, seminars should be conducted, probably under the auspices of the Institute of PublicattBfe Administration, to assure an understanding of the records management function and to prepare the officials to serve as top liaison with the new archives and records management agency. A second series of seminars or workshops should be held by the Archives staff for full-time or part-time agency records officers, who would be responsible for records retirement and records disposal work in the agencies and for arranging for neoessary training for agency records personnel. The third series of seminars, to be conducted by the Institute of Public Administration, would permit the exchange of views and experiences by the heads of central files with a view to better reoord keeping by agency file clerks. At the fllft clerk level the training could be given by the National Clerical Training Centre, a part of the Institute of Public Administration, either at the Centre or preferably at the agencies themselves. Seminars, workshops, and training classes should be long enough and thorough enough to produce tangible results. The National Clerical Training Centre now offers a one-year oourse in clerical office practice, including typing and filing. Serial No. 5119

16 The filing portion of the course, however, lasts only one hour a day for five days - five hours in all, which is clearly inadequate. By contrast, the Business and Domestic Occupational Training Centre, operated under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour, Youth and Sports by a training expert of the International Labour Office, also has a course offering office practices, typing, and filing, but the filing portion rune five hours per week for 18 weeks - 90 hours in all. The consultant brought with him from the United States and left with his counterpart a number of archives and records management handbooks, manuals, and other reference works which can be used for training purposes and also information on the availability of other training aid«. In conclusion, the archives and records of Liberia are at a critical stage. Unless the Government's records, already seriously deoimated and damaged, can soon be salvaged and protected, a major part of the history and experience of Liberia, as reflected in its records, will inevitably disappear in a few years. Recommendations on archives and records management The background and reasons for these recommendations have been discussed earlier in this report. This recapitulation adds a list of the principal steps needed to accomplish each recommendation and target dates for beginning them. Aside from one recommendation for immediate action and one for long-term accomplishment, all the other recommendations are medium term, to be commenced in 1975 or I976. The recommendations are listed in logical rather than chronological order, for many of them will need to be pushed forward simultaneously. It should be emphasized that the findings and recommendations in this report essentially document, amplify, and endorse those of Dr. Evans and earlier missions, with necessary modification for changed circumstances and the passage of several years since the initial survey. Immediate I. Remove endangered records to safe temporary storage Step Beginning Target Date 1. Assign the project to a competent and Interested 1975 official or agency. 2. Obtain a warehouse for the temporary storage of 1975 endangered records. 3. Obtain 5,000 cardboard cartons for storing records k. Obtain 200 wood pallets to hold cartons Obtain a truck and fuel to move records Employ a driver for the truck, four men to pack and move endangered records, and a watchman for the warehouse With agency consent and assistance, pack and remove endangered records to safe storage Provide funds to accomplish the foregoing Serial No. J119

17 Medium Term II. Construct a records centre building for permanent use Steg Beginning Target Date 1. Prepare plans for a Records Centre Building, includ ing space for offices,, records processing, records storage, temporary archives storage, and microfilming. 2. Construct the building Obtain shelving for the building. (a) Steel framing 1975 (b) Wood shelves *. Obtain furniture and other equipment for the building Install shelving, furniture, and equipment Provide funds to accomplish the foregoing III. Transfer non-current and inactive records to the records centre Step Beginning Target Date 1. Move records from the temporary records storage 1975 warehouse to the records centre. 2. Move records now in the Central National Archives to 1975 the archives portion of the records centre. 3. Move records in agency storage space to the Records 1976 Centre. h.. Move older records in agency offices to the Records 1976 Centre. IV. Identify and dispose of unneeded records Step Beginning Target Date 1. Identify disposable records in the temporary records 1975 storage warehouse. 2. Identify disposable records In..the Records Centre 1976 Building. 3. Identify disposable records in agency spaoe h. As disposition authorization is obtained, dispose of 1975 the records covered by the authorization. Serial No. 3H9

18 V. Assemble publications for distribution to designated depository libraries in Liberia * *SE Beginning Target Date 1, Assemble copies of current Liberian Government 1975 publications for distribution to designated depository libraries. 2. Serve as a clearing house for Liberian Government 1975 publications, other Liberian publications, and foreign publications no longer needed in government agencies; make these available for review for possible incorporation in designated depository libraries. 5. Assemble a master set of all Liberian Government 1975 publications, current and past in so far as possible, for maintenance in the new Central Archives and Records Agency. * Possible depository libraries: Central Archives and Records Agency National Library Library, University of Liberia Library, Institute of Public Administration William V.S. Tubman Library-Museum, Harper, Maryland County Tubman Centre for African Studies, Robertsport, Cape Mount County Library, Cuttington College, Bong County VT. Rehabilitate repairable filing equipment S*2E Beginning Target Date 1. Establish a unit in the General Services Agency for 1975 the rehabilitation of repairable agency steel file cabinets and steel cupboards at the rate of 500 a year. 2. Require each agency to budget annually for the planned 1975 rehabilitation and maintenance of at least 50 per cent of its repairable steel file cabinets and steel cupboards. 5. Authorize the General Services Agency to take over and 1975 rehabilitate repairable filing equipment not wanted by agencies k. Permit no agency to buy new filing equipment if it can 1975 rehabilitate its own equipment or obtain rehabilitated equipment from the General Services Agency. Serial No. 5119

19 VII. Standardize filing equipment and supplies ÎÊ Beginning Target Date 1. Standardize on the size of any new steel file 1975 cabinets (four or five drawer, letter or legal size) and new steel cupboards to be purchased by government agencies. 2. Standardize on a single manufacturer and a single 1975 quality for any new steel file cabinets and new steel cupboards to be purchased, in order to get the best price and value and to facilitate maintenance and repair. 5. Standardize on new filing supplies to be purchased 1975 (guides, folders, etc.) in order to get the best price and value. VIII.Establish a new autonomous Central Archives and Records Agency Beginning Target Date 1. Enact a law establishing a new Central Archives 1975 and Records Agenoy and Serial No (a) Giving it the duties, functions, staff, and funds now assigned to the (1) Central National Archives, Ministry of 1975 Foreign Affairs, including (a) Archival funotions (Ch ) (b) Records management functions (Ch. 8l) (c) Document reoording funotions (Ch ) (2) William V.S. Tubman Library-Museum, Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism 1975 (b) Modifying and simplifying provisions for -aie dis posai of records (Ch. 81.8). (o) Directing the assembly of Liberian Government 1975 publications for distribution to designated depository libraries in Liberia. (d) Requiring ministries and agencies to designate 1975 agency liaison officers and agency records officers to co-operate with the new Central Archives and Records Agency.

20 IX. Staff the new Central Archivée and Records Agency Step Beginning Target Date 1. Continue the staff employed to pack and move records Employ staff to identify, process, manage, and 1975 protect non-current agency records in the temporary records storage warehouse and the Records Centre. (a) Two qualified senior persons to be sent at once 1975 for six months' to one year's training, preferably in the united States, one in archival work and one in records centres and records management. (b) Two qualified Junior persons to be sent from time 1975 to time as necessary for shorter training courses at the training centre to be established under Unesco auspices for English-speaking countries in Afrioa. J. Transfer the existing staffs from (a) Central National Archives, Ministry of Foreign 1975 Affairs (b) William V.S. Tubman Library-Museum, Ministry of 1975 Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism k. Obtain one (two if possible) foreign archives and 1975 records management specialists for one or two year tours of duty. 5. Provide funds to accomplish the foregoing X. Establish on-going records management programmes in government agencies 2-2 Beginning Target Date 1. Require each agency to designate a senior official 1975 (such as Assistant Minister for Administration, Director of Administration, or comparable official) to serve as the official agency liaison with the new Central Archives and Records Agency. 2. Require each agency to designate one person, full 1975 time or part time as necessary, to serve as agency records officer and to assist in such duties as: Serial No.?119 (a) Removing endangered records. (b) Removing other non-current records. (c) Identifying disposable records.