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 DOI: 10.1177/0266666912446209

2012 28: 199 originally published online 6 June 2012Information DevelopmentTrywell Kalusopa and Patrick Ngulube

Developing an e-records readiness framework for labour organizations in Botswana  

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Article

Developing an e-records readinessframework for labour organizationsin Botswana

Trywell Kalusopa and Patrick NgulubeUniversity of South Africa

AbstractThis article examines e-record readiness in labour organizations in Botswana and proposes an e-record readi-ness framework to be used in context. E-records readiness was examined based on a mixture of components,which included information and communication technology uptake and use; best records management prac-tices; selected tenets of existing e-records readiness assessment tools and the extent of integration of labourorganizations into the national e-readiness framework. The study was largely guided by a quantitative paradigmand used a survey research strategy, which was complemented by methodological triangulation of data collec-tion methods. All the 50 registered labour organizations in Botswana were surveyed, 45 of which responded,representing a response rate of 90 percent. Data were obtained through structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, document review and observations. The study established that e-records readinessin labour organizations in Botswana was evident, low and evolving. That was evidenced by the slow adoptionof ICTs; inadequate records management standards and practices; and low integration in the nationale-readiness framework. It was recommended that in order to foster successful e-records readiness in labourorganisations, there is a need to underscore effective ICT adoption and use, implementation of best recordsmanagement practices and rigorous integration of labour organizations into the information and knowledgesociety in Botswana.

Keywordse-records management, e-records readiness, e-records readiness assessment tools, labour organizations, tradeunions, Botswana

Although labour organizations in Botswana have embraced the utilization of ICTs invarious fields, the level of e-records readiness is still low.

Introduction

By definition and scope, e-readiness and e-records

readiness are distinct concepts but highly complemen-

tary. In a way, e-readiness can be said to be a precur-

sor to e-records readiness. Choucri et al. (2003:2)

posit that e-readiness is a relatively new concept that

has been given impetus due to the dramatic advances

in uses of information and communication technologies

(ICTs), more particularly the rapid rate of Internet pene-

tration throughout the world in business and industry.

E-readiness thus refers to a society that has the neces-

sary physical infrastructure and a strong legal, policy

and regulatory framework to competitively engage in

the global information age (Bridges.org. 2001:1).

The concept of e-readiness originated as a result of

an attempt to provide a unified framework to evaluate

Corresponding author:Patrick Ngulube, PhD, Professor, University of South Africa,School of Arts, Department of Information Science, PO Box392, UNISA 0003, Pretoria, South Africa. Tel: þ27 12 4292832. Fax: þ27 12 429 3792 or þ27 866142512)Email: ngulup@unisa.ac.za. Personal fax: þ27 867307293.Website: www.unisa.ac.za/patrickngulube

Information Development28(3) 199–215ª The Author(s) 2012Reprints and permission:sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.navDOI: 10.1177/0266666912446209idv.sagepub.com

by Trywell Kalusopa on October 28, 2012idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from

the breadth and depth of the digital divide between the

developed and developing world during the later part

of the 1990s (Mutula and Brakel 2006:212). As put by

Little and Bose (2004:1), e-readiness ‘‘is the degree to

which a country is prepared to participate in the net-

worked world by assessing its advancement in areas

that are most critical to the adoption of ICTs’’.

E-records readiness, on the other hand, can be defined

as the depth and breadth or the capacity of organiza-

tions in having the required institutional, legal frame-

work and ICT infrastructure anchored on a systematic

records and information management programme.

In other words, whereas e-readiness may be described

as the generic degree to which a society or organiza-

tion is prepared to participate in an e-environment,

e-records readiness goes far beyond to measure the

extent to which organizations have e-records manage-

ment systems that ensure that e-records, like counter-

part traditional paper records, are captured, managed

and conform to the obligatory recordkeeping practices

that ensure that records are protected for informa-

tional and evidential purposes (International Records

Management Trust 2004).

E-records readiness assessments are, therefore,

meant to guide development efforts by providing

benchmarks for comparison and gauging progress

in organizations in understanding the depth of

e-records management. The assessments assist orga-

nizations to accurately establish, articulate and prior-

itize e-records and information management needs

based on institutional capabilities, thus illuminating

the potential opportunities and challenges that the

electronic and information age presents. Accordingly,

e-records readiness assessment frameworks can be

said to be instruments that can be used to evaluate the

e-records readiness capacity of organizations through

assigning several measurement criteria that address

the required institutional, legal and ICT framework,

as well as the records and information management

infrastructure, in an e-environment (International

Records Management Trust 2004, Kalusopa 2010,

McLeod, Childs and Heaford 2006).

Context of the study

Labour organizations, also known as trade unions,

consist of workers who have come together to achieve

common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and

working conditions (Rainsberger 1998:1). Labour

organizations are constituency-based in that through

their elected leadership they bargain with the

employer on behalf of union members and negotiate

labour contracts with employers (Rainsberger

199:1). Many labour organizations exist for historical

and ideological reasons of advancing the cause of

workers. They engage the working social and eco-

nomic order and may either accept the existing eco-

nomic order or work within that order to achieve a

‘‘favourable set of economic terms and employment

conditions, or they may seek to overthrow the existing

economic system and replace it with another’’ (Rain-

sberger 1998:1). The former strategy has been called

‘‘business unionism’’ or ‘‘simple unionism’’ while the

latter strategy tends to go beyond workplace issues to

deal with broader socio-economic matters that affect

the workers and the people, a strategy called ‘‘social

trade unionism’’ (International Confederation of

Free Trade Unions 2001, Rainsberger 1998, Wood

2001). Labour organizations strive to ensure that

development needs are transformed and recon-

structed from one serving the narrow interests of

government or global capital to one whose motive

should be to advance the interests of the workers

and the people (Kanyenze, Kondo and Martens

2006). The role of labour organizations is therefore

to monitor and measure progress on inclusive parti-

cipatory national economic processes and good cor-

porate ethics, underpinned by the principles of

openness, integrity and accountability (Kanyenze,

Kondo and Martens 2006).

The literature shows that from the early 1970s

labour organizations in Botswana have undergone

structural, legislative and ideological transformations.

After the changes in labour legislation in 2004 that

allowed for freedom of association, there has been a

proliferation of labour organizations in Botswana.

Available statistics indicate that there are 50 regis-

tered labour organizations in Botswana (Registrar of

Trade Unions 2010). The main national labour centre

is the Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU)

which is a federation of 29 labour organizations, oth-

erwise referred to as affiliates, and represents 58 per-

cent of all the legally registered trade unions in the

country. The other 42 percent operate legally outside

the structure of the BFTU (Kalusopa 2009). Cur-

rently, a splinter federation called the Botswana Fed-

eration of Public Service Unions (BOFEPUSU) had

been formed. At the time of writing this paper, this

federation had not yet been legally registered.

Botswana is said to be making remarkable progress

in the development and expansion of the ICT infra-

structure in the country. In 2004, as a prelude to the

200 Information Development 28(3)

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development of the national ICT policy, an

e-readiness assessment was extensively carried out.

This culminated in the National ICT Policy in 2007.

The development of an all-embracing e-government

strategy and an e-legislative framework is under

way. The e-readiness assessment showed that while

Botswana holds promise, there was low incidence

in the use of e-commerce; activities such as remote

data entry and programming were still low,

while the ICT industry remains foreign dominated

with limited local content (Maitlamo 2004). Further,

the quality of the network access provided by

telecommunication operators was said to be want-

ing. The levels of policy, legal framework and

human resource development also remained weak

(Maitlamo 2004). Both the ICT policy and

e-government strategy underscore a number of

initiatives that underline the development of an

e-environment in Botswana. For example, there is

commitment that government services will be avail-

able electronically. It also underscores the need for

all organizations in the country to make efforts to

ensure that they adopt ICT to ensure access to gov-

ernment services electronically, as well as sharing

with other sectors of the economy. Following from

this, most organizations (public, private, NGOs,

labour organizations) are now taking the initiative

to embrace ICTs in their respective business pro-

cesses and functions to support service delivery,

thus ultimately contributing to the national vision

of moving towards a knowledge and information

society.

With particular reference to labour organiza-

tions, Kalusopa (2010) observed that for such orga-

nizations to participate meaningfully in the national

development process there is a need for them to

develop capacity in records and information man-

agement driven by the appreciation and use of

ICTs. To this end, since most labour organizations

are increasingly operating in e-environments, the

need to be e-records ready in such a networked

information society is therefore cardinal. In this

context, understanding the depth and breadth of

e-records readiness of labour organizations is criti-

cal for their survival and relevance to national

development. This is so because the challenges of

conception, initiation, implementation, monitoring

and evaluation of activities in labour organizations

will always require the use of reliable, pertinent

and timely records and information in the current

e-environment in Botswana (Kalusopa 2010).

Statement of the problem

The increasing application of ICTs in the world has

undoubtedly raised various opportunities and chal-

lenges including understanding their depth, access

and use in several segments of society (International

Records Management Trust 2004, Kalusopa 2008,

Keakopa 2006). This has also underscored the need

for thorough assessment and understanding the

breadth and depth of the application of ICTs in

records management in most organizations (Interna-

tional Records Management Trust 2004, Kalusopa

2010, Keakopa 2006). Accordingly, this has accentu-

ated the evolution of the concept of e-records readi-

ness since it underlines the basis for the

measurement of the depth of infrastructure and capac-

ity to manage e-records and information in organiza-

tions (International Records Management Trust 2004,

McLeod, Childs and Heaford 2006).

With regard to record management, several assess-

ment tools have evolved to assess e-records readiness

in different organizations, some key examples are

briefly described below. A review of these tools

shows that there is no specific agreed framework on

the assessment of e-records readiness, in that these

tools have ‘‘different purposes, audiences and cover-

age’’ (McLeod, Childs and Heaford 2006:26). How-

ever, there is consensus that all e-records readiness

assessment tools underscore the attempt to understand

e-records readiness in organizations based on best

records and information management practices.

In Botswana, evidence points to the fact that the

concept is still evolving and there are few e-record

management projects or studies devoted to assessing

e-records readiness in labour organizations. The only

recent existing empirical studies such as those by

Mutula (2005), Keakopa (2006) and Moloi (2006)

have tended to focus on e-readiness (not e-records

readiness per se) in the private sector, e-records man-

agement in general and e-readiness in government in

Botswana respectively. Other studies and scholarly

contributions within the East and Southern Africa

Regional Branch of the International Council of

Archives (ESARBICA) by Akotia (2002), Katuu

(2004), Mutiti (2002), Ngulube (2004), Wamukoya

and Mutula (2005), Wamukoya and Mnjama (2007)

and Wato (2006) have looked generally at the chal-

lenges of e-records management capacity and have

made attempts to recommend, among others, the need

for e-records readiness as critical to an effective

e-records management strategy in the region. In terms

Kalusopa and Ngulube: Developing an e-records readiness framework for labour organizations in Botswana 201

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of proposing a model or framework, Ngulube’s (2004)

study, for instance, goes as far as recommending that

there be ‘‘appropriate document management strate-

gies and model’’ (p.154).

Although most of these studies allude to e-records

readiness in some way, none particularly examined

the concept in depth, more so with reference to labour

organizations in Botswana. The studies neither exam-

ined any e-record readiness in detail nor do they pro-

pose any specific sector frameworks, methodologies

or models.

This study therefore sought to examine e-records

readiness in labour organizations with a view to

proposing an integrated framework for labour organi-

zations in Botswana. This is because an integrated

e-records readiness framework is a useful guide in

benchmarking, gauging progress and comprehending

e-records management in labour organizations. It

should also be able to assist labour organizations

to accurately establish, articulate and prioritize

e-records and information management needs based

on their known institutional capabilities in the current

information age.

Literature review

The International Records Management Trust

(IRMT), one of the forerunners in the development

of e-records readiness assessment tools, observed that

most of the earlier generic e-readiness assessment

tools such as the Computer Systems Policy Project

(CSPP)(1988), the Centre for International Develop-

ment at Harvard University (CID) (2000), the Asia-

Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) (2000), the

World Technology and Service Alliance (WITSA)

(2000) and the Centre for International Development

and Conflict Management at the University of Mary-

land (CIDCM) (2001), to list just a few, simply refer

to records and information but do not accurately

assess e-records readiness. In other words, such tools

‘‘do not permit an accurate assessment of e-records

readiness in organisations’’ (International Records

Management Trust 2004:1).

The International Records Management Trust

(2004:1) further observed that in most countries, early

stages of e-government implementation tend to focus

on ‘‘enabling technologies and architectures to sup-

port online delivery of government services and infor-

mation [and] as these architectures mature, the focus

is increasingly directed to the quality and integrity

of the digital information and e-records that are being

created, managed and delivered as a result of

electronic applications’’. The IRMT thus argued that

most e-readiness tools were general in nature and that

while they assessed e-readiness in general, they

did not make specific reference to records manage-

ment requirements. In other words, such general

e-readiness assessment models and tools did not sat-

isfy the recordkeeping functionalities based on

agreed practice such as ISO 15489 – the standard for

records management (International Organisation for

Standardisation 2001).

To address the issues, IRMT and the World Bank

initiated a programme in 2003 with the aim of devel-

oping an assessment tool that will assist governmental

organizations and other agencies to assess their

e-records readiness against internationally accepted

standards. In this regard, the IRMT developed an

e-readiness assessment tool to provide a benchmark

for organizations to assess themselves and to deter-

mine where they stand relative to the challenges of

management of electronic records. The e-records

readiness tool was designed to be used in conjunction

with existing e-government readiness tools to permit a

high-level assessment of the infrastructure and capac-

ity required to manage records and information (Inter-

national Records Management Trust 2004:1). It was

intended to provide information to assist government

or public organizations to develop plans and strategies

aimed at improving both their paper-based and

e-records environments. The tool uses a brief ques-

tionnaire that provides a risk assessment of e-records

readiness in government, at national and enterprise lev-

els. The areas addressed by the tool include, among

others: staff competencies in maintaining software and

hardware; human resource capacity; telecommunica-

tion infrastructure to support growing volume of work;

adequacy of electric power; information management

policies and responsibilities; information management

products and technologies; internal and public aware-

ness programme of information management; compli-

ance with information management procedures such as

security, documentation standards and system engi-

neering procedures for ICT; guidelines for manage-

ment of electronic records; national ICT strategies;

supportive legal and regulatory framework for infor-

mation management; and freedom of information and

protection of privacy. Specifically, the tool addresses

the following issues: awareness and ownership ICT;

records management integration; laws, policies, and

procedures, resources and training; records manage-

ment program management; and long-term preservation

202 Information Development 28(3)

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and accessibility (International Records Management

Trust 2004).

Some other notable tools that have been developed

to guide the assessment of e-records capacity include

the Information Governance Toolkit (IGT) which was

developed by the UK Department of Health and the

National Health Service (NHS) Information Authority

(now called ‘NHS Connecting Health’). This tool was

intended for internal use. It is applied organization-

wide and covers elements of information governance

management, records management (health, freedom of

information, data protection, confidentiality, data qual-

ity/accreditation and information security (McLeod,

Childs and Heaford 2006:5). The Information Manage-

ment Capacity Check (IMCC) Tool and Methodology

developed by Library and Archives Canada comprises

six key elements of information management practices,

namely, the organizational context; organization cap-

abilities; management of information management;

compliance and quality; records and information life-

cycle and user perspective, with criteria under each ele-

ment (32 in total), each of which is assessed at one of

five capacity levels (McLeod, Childs and Heaford

2006:11). The Risk Profiler for Records and Informa-

tion Management produced by the Archives and

Records Management Association (ARMA) Interna-

tional in conjunction with NetDiligence is an auto-

mated, guided self-assessment tool that provides a

diagnostic analysis of a Records Information Manage-

ment (RIM) programme’s strengths and weaknesses,

focusing on policies and procedures; program structure;

classification plan effectiveness; records security and

protection; active and inactive programme effective-

ness; monitoring and training (McLeod, Childs and

Heaford 2006:21).

Evaluation of these assessment tools shows that, in

terms of content, context, purpose and target audi-

ence, the IRMT tool is generally geared towards the

public sector and evaluates functional organizational

areas such as legal, human resources and financial

areas within public agencies. The IMCC tends to be

holistic in dealing with records and information man-

agement in a ‘‘wider information management and

business context’’. The Risk Profiler for Records and

Information Management can be also used in a wider

context but requires registration fees (McLeod, Childs

and Heaford 2006:26).

It is evident from the literature that most African

countries continue to grapple with the challenges of

the management of e-records. Although most coun-

tries in the East and Southern Africa Regional Branch

of the International Council on Archives (ESAR-

BICA) have attempted to put in place some pro-

grammes to manage records in general, there are no

known clear strategies initiated either to manage elec-

tronic records or to have e-records readiness assess-

ments rigorously carried out. Keakopa (2010:67), in

a recent critical appraisal of the management of elec-

tronic records in ESARBICA highlights the persistent

‘‘limitations from research conducted in the region in

providing appropriate solutions for the management

of this new format of records’’. Other earlier discus-

sions, such as the one held in Vienna, Austria on 26

August 2004 between some members of the Africa

Branch of the International Council on Archives, the

International Records Management Trust (IRMT) and

the National Archives of the United Kingdom also

emphasized the need for effective records manage-

ment in Africa with respect to capacity building in

the area of e-records management. In the same vein,

the general e-readiness assessments undertaken by the

Southern African Development Community (SADC)

E-readiness Task Force in 2002 underscored chal-

lenges related to staff competencies, skills and tools

needed to manage e-business processes and informa-

tion in a shared work environment that has not been

adequately developed in many public sector organiza-

tion in Africa (Mutula and Brakel 2006:215).

With specific reference to e-records readiness in

Botswana, the literature shows that the concept is still

evolving and there are few studies devoted to asses-

sing e-records readiness. There is a dearth of empiri-

cal studies on e-records readiness in labour

organizations in Botswana. Most of the studies on e-

records management in Botswana have tended to

focus on the public sector. The only available recent

studies by Mutula (2005), Keakopa (2006) and Moloi

(2006) have tended to have limited focus on e-

readiness or have largely focused on discussing e-

records management in government, business or the

private sector. For example, Mutula’s (2005) study

was largely on developing e-readiness models with

an emphasis on information access in small and

medium enterprises in Botswana. Keakopa (2006) had

a comparative case study approach that looked at the

challenges and opportunities for the management of

electronic records in Botswana, Namibia and South

Africa, while Moloi (2006) investigated e-records

management in government in general with a pro-

posal for future research to be extended to parastatal

organizations in Botswana. In summary, the literature

reviewed indicates the following key points regarding

Kalusopa and Ngulube: Developing an e-records readiness framework for labour organizations in Botswana 203

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e-records readiness in Botswana within the context of

labour organizations:

� the concept is still evolving and few studies have

been devoted to assessing e-records readiness in

Botswana

� most studies have tended to focus on e-readiness

in general or e-records management in govern-

ment in Botswana

� there appears to be an evolving analytical frame-

work to explain and support the assessment of

e-records limited to the public sector

� the extent and usefulness of the existing e-records

readiness framework has not been established in

labour organizations in Botswana

� the extent of e-records readiness in labour organi-

zation in Botswana has not been ascertained

� there is limited information on an established

framework for the assessment of e-record readi-

ness in labour organizations in Botswana.

As a point of departure, this study attempted to

build on these former studies to assess e-records

readiness in labour organizations, a sector not covered

in any of the studies.

Research objective and questions

The aim of the study was to examine e-records readi-

ness in 50 registered labour organizations in Bots-

wana with a view to developing an integrated

e-records readiness framework. The study documents

part of the results emanating from doctoral research

work. The field survey was carried out between

January 2011 and April 2011. The study sought to

answer the following research questions:

1. What is the extent of ICT uptake and use in

labour organizations in Botswana?

2. What are the current records and information

management practices in labour organizations in

Botswana?

3. What is the depth and breadth of e-records readi-

ness in labour organizations in Botswana based

on existing e-records assessment tools?

4. To what extent are best practices used in the inte-

gration of ICTs in the management of records in

labour organizations in Botswana?

5. To what extent have national information strate-

gies (ICT and e-government framework)

involved labour organizations in Botswana?

6. What type of framework would be appropriate in

measuring e-records readiness in labour organi-

zations in Botswana?

7. What recommendations can improve the general

management of electronic records in the labour

organizations in Botswana?

Methodology

The study used to a large extent a quantitative para-

digm and employed a survey research strategy. This

was, however, complemented by methodological tri-

angulation of both quantitative and qualitative data

collection methods to assess e-records readiness in

labour organizations in Botswana. Surveys are largely

quantitative and have been a widely used method in

records and information management research (e.g.

Kemoni 2007, Ngulube 2005, Williamson and Bow

2000).

In this study, no sampling was done and all 50 reg-

istered labour organizations in Botswana constituted

the target population. For practical reasons the major-

ity of the members of labour organizations were not

targeted. The administrative offices of the organiza-

tions were the units of analysis used in this study.

Based on their existing constitutions, drawn in confor-

mity with national labour legislation, all registered

labour organizations have a core group of elected exec-

utive members. These comprise the President, Vice

President, General Secretary, Deputy Secretary Gen-

eral, Treasurer and three Committee Members. The

offices of the General Secretary and Deputy have

full administrative powers and direct the operations

of a trade union. In each of the 50 registered labour

organizations, this office received and answered the

questionnaire and facilitated any other relevant

means of data collection. Furthermore, there were

follow-up interviews to gain more insight and vali-

dation of the information and data collected in each

of the labour organizations. Other methods such as

semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders,

document review and observations were also

employed in data collection. Quantitative data was

analysed using Statistical Tool for Analysis

(STATA), while qualitative data was categorized

and thematically analysed to complement and illu-

minate the findings. Of the 50 registered labour

organizations surveyed, 45 responded, representing

a response rate of 90 percent.

204 Information Development 28(3)

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Findings and discussions

In this study, e-records readiness was assessed based

on a mixture of key dimensions, namely: ICT uptake

and use; records management practices and e-records

management; existing selected e-records readiness

indicators; and integration into national e-readiness

initiatives. The subsequent sections document some

of the salient summarized outcomes of the study.

ICT uptake and use

Adoption theory usually examines how individuals or

organisations make the choice to accept or reject a

technology. In most of the models, adoption is not

only the choice to accept a technology, but also the

extent to which it is integrated into appropriate con-

text, in this case labour organisations. In this regard,

the current study asked the respondents the type of

technology adopted, what motivates or de-motivates

them to use the technology. The following ICT tools

were investigated: fax, telephone, cell phone, Internet,

e-mail, website and Web 2.0 (that is, Facebook, You-

Tube and Twitter). Using a multi-response list,

respondents were then asked to state which of these

different types of ICTs they had adopted and used

in their organisations.

The study revealed that fax, telephone and cell

phone were the dominant ICTs that have been adopted

and were being used in most labour organisations in

Botswana. These accounted for a total score of 116

(73.2 percent) of the ICTs used. However, it is impor-

tant to note that the Internet was slowly being adopted

and used in labour organisations with a score of 29

(18.4 percent) (see Table 1).

The results seem to correspond with the variable

‘perceived ease of use’ in Davis’ Technology

Acceptance Model. In this case, ‘perceived ease of

use’, is taken to mean that using the telephone and cell

phone was seen to be free of physical and mental

effort.

The survey showed that websites, Facebook, You-

Tube, Twitter and email ranked very low in adoption

and use. The implication is that most labour organiza-

tions continue to rely on traditional ICTs and have

been slow to embrace newer technologies. This is not

surprising and confirms the conservative nature of

labour organizations in adopting these technologies

over the years. Earlier studies also asserted that com-

pared to other sectors such as business and govern-

ment, labour organizations have been painstakingly

slow to embrace the opportunities that the modern

ICTs offer (Kalusopa 2009, Lax 2001) and sluggish

in taking full advantage of the benefits of ICT compared

with commerce and government (Hogan and Grieco

1999:2). As several authorities have argued, if they are

to remain relevant and survive in the face of the ICT rev-

olution, labour organizations should transform their

way of functioning, just like industry, business and gov-

ernment have done (Gundogan 2008, Kalusopa 2009,

Lax 2001).

The slow adoption of ICT could largely be

explained by the fact that many labour organizations

in Botswana still use traditional face-to-face meetings

in communicating with their general membership.

Thus, using a multi-response list, when asked to state

how they communicated with their general member-

ship, most labour organisation indicated that tradi-

tional face-to-face communication (36) was the

most favoured method. Among the least used methods

of communication were television (2), websites (3),

and radio (8) as summarised in Table 2. Most labour

organisations still favoured the use of traditional face-

to-face meetings, despite the surge in application of

ICTs in the country.

An earlier exploratory study by Kalusopa

(2007:20) also showed that among 26 labour centres

that were surveyed, 79.2 percent indicated that they

used meetings as the main way of sharing information

within and outside their organizations. Most of them

(64.6 percent) found direct formal meetings as an

effective tool while email was found to be the least

used tool of communication (6.3 percent).

The present study attempted to find out why labour

organizations continued to be slow to embrace newer

ICTs such as the Internet and Web 2.0 technologies.

The major reasons cited in follow-up interviews were

that such technologies required prior knowledge to

Table 1. Type of ICTs adopted in labour organisations inBotswana (N ¼ 45)

Type of ICTs adopted in labour organisations Frequency

YouTube -Twitter 1E-mail 1Facebook 3Website 8Internet 29Fax 38Cell phone 38Telephone 40Total 158

Kalusopa and Ngulube: Developing an e-records readiness framework for labour organizations in Botswana 205

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use and that other allied labour organizations did not

have them. As advanced by Adrian, Norwood and

Mask (2005), it is clear that attitudes to the usefulness

and complexity of information technologies can affect

individuals’ adoption and use of these technologies.

There is also the attribute of observability as

advanced by Roger (1995), which could be inter-

preted as unspoken peer pressure, where if everyone

else had used an innovation, an individual or organi-

zation was more likely to adopt it as well. As

follow-up interviews confirmed, labour organizations

in Botswana were of the view that there was some

complexity about such technologies that required

some prior knowledge and that, as similar organiza-

tions were not using them, there was no ‘peer pres-

sure’ for them to follow suit.

It was, however, encouraging to note through

follow-up interviews that although labour organisa-

tions did not have a clear policy on its use, the Internet

was being adopted and used. As has been observed by

Gundogan (2008:6), the Internet presents a good

opportunity for advancement of trade union work in

that it ‘‘allows the trade union movement to renew

itself and fill in key gaps in its national and interna-

tional systems of communication leading to a broader

and meaningful dialogue . . . ’’.

Current records management practices in labourorganizations

The study established that labour organizations were

information and knowledge intensive organizations

in that they used records daily in the execution of their

work. All the labour organizations had access to com-

puters, which were primarily used to create paper

records. Using a multi-response list, 41 respondents

indicated that they used and stored information in

word processing applications and 29 respondents

indicated that they used MS PowerPoint for presenta-

tions while 27 used MS Excel for processing union

application forms. However, despite this use of office

systems, there were currently no institutional proce-

dures that guide the filing, arrangement and disposi-

tion of electronically created documents by staff

using computer technology. This implies that labour

organisations are no different from many other orga-

nisations around the world that are making the transi-

tion to the electronic environment and have yet to

establish standards and guidelines.

The study further confirmed that traditional labour

organizations’ activities such as collective bargaining,

union administration and membership organising cre-

ated various types of records, which included among

others policy documents, technical reports, financial

reports, memoranda, correspondence, legal docu-

ments, minutes of meetings, proceedings of meetings,

statistical series, publicity materials and graphic

materials. Thus, using a 5-point Likert scale as a mea-

sure of the level of agreement and disagreement (that

is, strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree,

disagree or strongly disagree), labour organisations

were asked to state the extent to which each main-

stream trade union activity created records. As shown

in Table 3, internal and external communication and

union administration accounted for the highest levels

of combined positive response, followed by services

to members and collective bargaining, organising,

education and training, sending of solidarity informa-

tion and discussions with international trade union

bodies, in that order.

In terms of capturing these records in recordkeep-

ing systems, observations and interviews revealed that

most of the labour organisations had some form of

recordkeeping system that were largely managed by

administrative staff, mostly receptionists and secre-

taries who had some office practice qualifications or

experience. There was no evidence of well defined

or clear procedures to guide the creation of records

in most of the labour organisations.

In addition, limited guidance was provided on the

requirements for records management as laid down

in the relevant acts, instructions and instruments in the

country. Most (31) labour organizations were not con-

versant with the key statutory requirements such as

Table 2. Most used method in communicating withmembership (N ¼ 45)

Most used method in communicating withmembership Frequency

TV 2Website 3Newspapers 8Radio 8E-mail 20Fax 24Telephone (landline) 29Cell-phone 31Direct mail 32Face-to-face meeting 36Total 193

Note: Multiple responses were possible.

206 Information Development 28(3)

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the Employment Act (Cap 71:01 Section 93), the

Trade Unions and Employers’ Organizations Act(Cap

48:01 Section 42–43) and the Public Service National

Archives Act, that were pertinent to recordkeeping

during their work. They were of the view that, in

terms of in terms of definition and scope, the National

Archives Act had a restrictive focus on the manage-

ment of public sector records. Nonetheless, labour

organizations had attempted to develop and introduce

a range of basic internal policies, standards and proce-

dures, especially in financial management, to enable

them to manage records so that they were in compli-

ance with the demand to submit returns to the Regis-

trar of Trade Unions.

From follow-up interviews and observations, it was

established that, while the majority (31) of labour

organisations were not aware of the procedures for fil-

ing both paper and electronic records, most had devel-

oped some form of classification. In the absence of

well defined organisation-wide classification struc-

tures, the localised systems within most labour orga-

nisations relied on the initiative and memory of

union staff such as secretaries and administrative staff

on how to classify records. Although the majority (28)

indicated they had some form of file plan, observa-

tions showed that these were not systematically devel-

oped. However, most of the respondents (28)

indicated that they used indexes, or inventories or reg-

isters for organising and retrieving their records.

A key element of records management is to moni-

tor the movement of records in and out of the record-

keeping systems. In the electronic environment, the

same principle applies (that is, knowing how records

are used at any time) but is more closely related to the

security, accessibility and integrity of the records,

than their physical custody. When asked to state if

there were any systems for tracking paper records,

24 of the labour organisations indicated that they did

not have any tracking system in place while 21 had.

Further, 31 labour organisations said they did not

have detailed procedures governing tracking of

records regardless of format, while 13 indicated they

did have (see Figure 1).

Due to poor organization of records, the number of

records personnel available, the location of the records

and the systems in place for monitoring file move-

ments, retrieval of records was found to be very proble-

matic. There were no clear guidelines for access to and

security of records and 28 labour organizations used

only the general principles of ‘classified’ and

‘restricted’ documents. There were no clear guidelines

on the declassification of such documents. Retrieving

paper records took from minutes to hours.

Thirty-five labour organizations had some form of

retention and disposal programmes but were not clear

as to what this entailed in terms of retention require-

ments. Though some financial regulations in the

country stipulated a basic retention requirement of 7

years, as provided for in legislation regarding finan-

cial records, no clear policies or procedures for

Table 3. Activities that produce records in labour organisations (N ¼ 45)

Activities that produce recordsStronglyagree Agree Neutral Disagree

Stronglydisagree Non-response Total

Collective bargaining 16 18 3 1 – 7 45Organising 15 17 5 3 – 5 45Internal and external

communication15 23 2 – – 5 45

Services to members 12 22 6 1 – 4 45Education and training 13 17 9 3 – 3 45Sending solidarity 7 20 8 2 – 8 45Discussions with international

bodies8 19 3 4 1 10 45

Union administration 18 19 2 1 – 5 45

Figure 1. Existence of procedures governing file tracking

Kalusopa and Ngulube: Developing an e-records readiness framework for labour organizations in Botswana 207

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retention and disposal of records existed in most

labour organizations. Twenty-nine labour organiza-

tions tended to rely on standing instructions (financial

regulations for keeping records for 7 years) or trade

union standing administrative instructions for reten-

tion and disposal. There was a lack of clarity in

appraisal, retention and disposal. As a result labour

organisations were not destroying records, thus chok-

ing and congesting most of their recordkeeping sys-

tems. As shown in Table 4, labour organisations

tended to keep records permanently since there were

no retention schedules in place.

In terms of storage, 28 labour organisations used

steel cabinets, mainly for storing current records. The

survey established that semi-current records were

kept on the shelves together with current records by

more than 36 of the labour organisations. Two respon-

dents kept them on the floors or in a separate room not

designed for such use. The equipment and space used

did not sufficiently cater for records storage. Eighteen

labour organisations indicated that they encountered

problems of lost files, torn and dusty records, and

17 faced problems of unauthorised access.

The majority of the people managing records and

information in 35 labour organizations had not

received any education and training in records man-

agement, while only in 10 labour organisations had

people received such training. A certificate was the

highest level of records or information management

professional education or training received by such

personnel. Seminars and workshops were considered

the most useful in meeting the short-term training

needs in records management in labour organizations.

The majority of the labour organizations were

aware of the need for the management of vital records

and the implications in the event of a disaster. They

recognized that current arrangements for the protec-

tion of vital records and information were inadequate.

Only five labour organizations could point to any such

arrangements being in place, such as backup for the

protection of vital records. For electronic records,

most labour organizations were aware of, and used,

the backup system provided by the onsite and offsite

ICT support to their organizations. There was no

known elaborate and co-ordinated backup pro-

gramme for disaster preparedness. Though they did

not have elaborate vital records management pro-

grammes, 38 labour organizations used duplication

and offsite storage methods for vital records

protection.

Mail management was problematic, as evidenced

by delayed or perceived lack of response to official

communications. Observations revealed there were

inconsistencies in the application of file reference

numbers on outgoing correspondence, thus undermin-

ing the maintenance of a complete record.

The challenges cited are not unique to labour orga-

nizations. Several authorities on records and informa-

tion management, such as the International Records

Management Trust (2004), Kalusopa (2010), Kea-

kopa, Tshotlo and Mnjama (2008) point also to sev-

eral of these challenges in other public and private

organizations in Botswana.

E-records management in labour organizations

The survey also sought to determine the extent to

which labour organizations were using ICTs in a man-

ner which would ensure that the resultant electronic

records were being systematically managed as per

best records management practice. The following

were some of the major findings:

Table 4. Retention of records in labour organisations (N ¼ 45)

Type of trade union records

Retention periods of records in labour organisations

0–5yrs 6–10yrs 11–15 yrs 16–20 yrs 20–25 yrsPermanent

preservation Non-response Total

Financial 10 4 – – 1 27 3 45Human resource 4 6 – – 1 30 4 45General administration 3 4 1 1 2 32 2 45Union policy 3 2 1 1 – 34 4 45Membership 3 4 – 1 2 32 3 45Organising and recruitment 7 4 1 1 2 25 5 45Collective bargaining

records4 4 – – 4 27 6 45

208 Information Development 28(3)

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� All labour organizations had access to computers

and email and the majority used these in the

course of their day-to-day work.

� Both structured and unstructured electronic records

were being produced. Structured records were those

held in databases and often contained statistical or

transactional data. This data is held in a series of

centralized tables that are manipulated via the data-

base coding, whereas unstructured records were cre-

ated and maintained in systems such as email and

MS Office applications such as MS Word.

� Email remains a big challenge for labour organiza-

tions in terms of recordkeeping. There were no pol-

icies or procedures on the use and management of

emails. In most of the labour organizations visited,

users create and dispose of emails and attachments

mainly at their own discretion without reference to

institutional standards or organizational controls.

Some organizations ‘archive’ messages in folders

while others print and file messages that they con-

sidered to be official and important.

� There were no defined structures to store informa-

tion and capture metadata for authenticity.

� There were no formal policies, guidelines and sys-

tems to enable records or information manage-

ment through applications such as electronic

records management systems.

� The creation and use of information was up to the

discretion of the individual users.

� As far as office systems are concerned, there were

no institutional procedures to guide the filing,

arrangement and disposition of electronically cre-

ated documents by staff using desktop computers.

The implication is that labour organizations face a

lot of challenges related to the transition to the elec-

tronic environment and they have yet to establish

standards and guidelines for the management of elec-

tronic records. It is also clear from the survey that the

operations and business of labour organization in

Botswana were increasingly likely to be conducted

using ICTs, though paper records will also be created,

received, maintained and used in the foreseeable

future.

The current study concurs with an earlier study by

the International Records Management Trust

(2003:5), which pointed out that in the developing

countries there are various barriers to the management

of e-records. Furthermore, studies in Botswana car-

ried out in the public sector and local government

by Keakopa (2006), Moloi (2006), and Tshotlo and

Mnjama (2010), all confirm such findings. For exam-

ple, Keakopa (2006:135–136) revealed that in Bots-

wana there were challenges related to management

of paper and electronic systems, backup procedures,

long-term preservation of electronic records, issues

of access and coping with change from manual to

computerized systems. Moloi (2006:105–107), also

cited lack of procedures, lack of policy and legislative

framework and lack of skills, among others, as chal-

lenges faced in the public sector. Similarly, Tshotlo

and Mnjama (2010:30–32) carried a records manage-

ment audit in Gaborone City Council and revealed a

myriad of challenges such as lack of records manage-

ment policies to guide the creation, storage, access,

retention and disposal of records.

Use of existing e-records readiness tools in labourorganizations

The study assessed e-records readiness in labour orga-

nizations in Botswana using selected existing key

indicators of e-records readiness. This was meant to

validate some well-established key indicators and

consolidate the understanding of the breadth and

depth of e-records readiness in labour organizations.

The International Records Management Trust’s e-

records readiness tools were adapted for this purpose.

The selected indicators included:

� policies and responsibilities for e-records and

information management

� tools and procedures for e-records and informa-

tion management

� e-records management products and technologies

� resources and training for records and information

management personnel

� internal and public awareness of records and

information management.

The study confirmed that the depth and breadth of

e-records readiness was varied and still evolving.

More than half of the labour organisations vacillated

between low and moderately low in relation to indica-

tors for assessment of e-readiness in labour organisa-

tions in Botswana (see Table 5).

Table 5 further shows the state of metadata require-

ments for ICT systems in labour organisations in

Botswana, security and access protocols to protect

e-records, integration of e-records requirements infor-

mation functional requirements for current and future

systems, extent to which systems that have been

developed streamed records management with other

Kalusopa and Ngulube: Developing an e-records readiness framework for labour organizations in Botswana 209

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ICT systems, resources and training for records and

information management and the extent to which

members and executive union leaderships were aware

of the significance of well-managed and trustworthy

records in the execution of trade union activities.

Integration of labour organizations into national e-readiness initiatives

The National Information and Communications Tech-

nology (NICT) Policy of 2007 and e-government

strategy clearly stipulates how Botswana seeks to be

part of the global knowledge and information society

through the effective use of ICTs. Document review

indicates that through the NICT Policy, the govern-

ment has created an enabling environment for main-

streaming ICTs into the development agenda of the

country. The NICT Policy also alludes to the fact that

the country has created opportunities for all sectors of

the economy (government, labour, NGOs, commu-

nities, business, health, education) to apply ICTs to

solve organizational and national problems. Govern-

ment officials interviewed indicated that it was up

to the various sectors of the economy to take initia-

tives in ensuring that their constituents take part effec-

tively in the process. The study established that 41

labour organizations were of the view that govern-

ment policies and programmes towards creating an

information society in Botswana have been largely

targeted at government agencies and business. They

indicated that except for some intermittent representa-

tion at some earlier meetings during the development

of ICT policy, there have not been tangible collabora-

tive efforts in entrenching ICT adoption and use in

labour organizations. It was apparent, on the other

hand, that even in government agencies, the e-

government initiatives were also slow in being

adopted. When asked to indicate what factors were

likely to restricting the adoption of ICTs in labour orga-

nizations one of the respondents had this say:

‘‘The organisational culture of labour organisations is

such that they centralise membership power into a

few trade union leaders and this concentration of

power inhibits innovation and growth and breaks

down participation and so information is held in hand

of a few . . . so you naturally expect them to be slow to

adopt ICTs because the leadership always fear this

will break down their traditional power structure’’.

The above statements underlined the strong per-

ception held by 30 labour organisations that the nature

of the organization environment in labour organiza-

tions tended to militate against their integration in the

information society. The existence of the National

Archives and Records Services of Botswana, an orga-

nisation that was supposed to spearhead the issue of

policy direction in the management of records in

country, did not seem to be of any help as the

Table 5. Extent of e-records readiness in labour organisations (N ¼ 45)

Extent of e-records readiness

Score

LowModerately

lowSomewhat

lowModerately

high High1 2 3 3 5

Establishment of principles, policies and responsibilitiesof management records

20 10 5 9 1

Existence of central systems for filing, storage andclassification of e-records

17 7 14 5 1*

Availability of metadata requirement for ICT systems 14 8 6 3 1*Existence security measures and access control 14 10 5 9 2*Prevalence of integration of e-records at present and

future17 5 7 1 5*

Streamlining e-record management with other systems 13 8 4 5 2*Existence of records and information management

training and resources within the labour organisations24 5 4 2 1*

Awareness of significance records managementprogramme by union leadership

15 5 8 9 1*

Note: *Does not add up to 45 due to item non-response.

210 Information Development 28(3)

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archivists indicated that their mandate was restricted

to the public sector.

It was also established that whereas there is evi-

dence of various initiatives by government proclama-

tions through Vision 2016, NICT policy and National

Development Plan (NDP) 10 to integrate various key

sectors in the information and knowledge based soci-

ety, labour organizations seemed not to be adequately

incorporated. The generally held view is that labour

organizations had not been forthcoming in the quest

to integrate. Though there was some evidence that

suggests this, it was equally apparent that there were

no deliberate initiatives to bring labour organizations

on board. Unlike elsewhere in the world, the mandate

of the Botswana National Archives and Records Ser-

vices (BNARS) was admittedly restricted to the pub-

lic sector and; it had limited professional capacity to

reinforce its advisory role to labour organizations.

Proposed e-records readiness frameworkfor labour organizations in Botswana

The empirical findings discussed entail that in order

to promote effective e-records readiness in labour

organizations, it is recommended that there is a need

for effective ICT adoption and use; implementation

of best records management practices and cultivation

of effective ways of integrating labour organizations

into the national e-readiness strategies in Botswana.

In this regard, this article, based on literature and

empirical research on labour organizations in Bots-

wana, provides a contextual framework for examining

and understanding e-records readiness in labour orga-

nizations in Botswana. Figure 2 depicts the proposed

e-records readiness framework for labour organiza-

tions in Botswana.

Explanation of the framework

This proposed framework therefore builds on the

existing body of knowledge on e-records readiness.

The e-records readiness assessment framework first

determines the principal capability factors upon

which e-records management for labour organizations

depends, that is, ICTs, and the levels of e-records

readiness capacity. In other words, the application

of the proposed framework to any labour organization

should be guided by the following:

� The organizational culture of labour organizations

based on the core functions of collective bargain-

ing, social dialogue, membership organization

and recruitment, and building ideological

solidarity;

� What labour organizations can accomplish within

their existing ICT resource capabilities including

the attendant challenges to be encountered;

� Appropriate framework required to improve the

utilization of existing ICT resources within their

organizational culture;

� Appropriate understanding of the current records

management practice based on good or best

practice;

� Appropriate understanding of the current e-records

management challenges based on relevant stan-

dards; and

� Appropriate understanding of the current national

e-readiness environment.

The framework draws heavily from ICT adoption

models, national e-readiness assessment tools and

IRMT e-records readiness tools. There are four com-

ponents that guide this framework, namely: ICT

uptake and use; records management best practice;

selected and appropriate existing e-records readiness

indicators; and national e-readiness environment. It

is argued that these are the four components key to

examining and understanding e-records readiness in

labour organizations in Botswana. However, the com-

ponents should be examined in the context of the

labour organization or trade union culture. These

components are explained in the subsequent sections.

ICT Uptake

The study established that most of the ‘stand alone’

ICT adoption models merely look at how organiza-

tions adopt, adapt to or are motivated to use, and are

de-motivated to use, ICTs in general. Others have

focused on the public or business organizations, with

a dearth of literature on labour organizations. Other

e-records readiness models also refer to ICTs infra-

structure as a key indicator for assessment of

e-records readiness but do not go far enough to assess

its uptake. Yet, as the study established, understand-

ing the level of ICT uptake and use is essential to the

question of e-records readiness. ICTs are the basis and

platform on which e-records are based or thrive. This

means any thorough assessment of e-records readi-

ness in labour organizations should take into account

detailed examination of ICTs uptake and use. It is thus

proposed that such an examination and understanding

could be based on, but not limited to, the following

Kalusopa and Ngulube: Developing an e-records readiness framework for labour organizations in Botswana 211

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ICT uptake and use indicators namely: type of ICTs

adopted and used; ICTs use and labour organization

functions; ICT access and networking; ICT/informa-

tion knowledge, skills and competences; and informa-

tion sources/services in labour organizations.

Records management best practice

The second component proposed is the records man-

agement best practice. The study established that as the

basis for understanding the depth and breadth of

e-records readiness in labour organizations, there is

need to examine the current records and information

management practices in labour organizations. In this

context, such assessment should be based on various

components that underline the desire for best records

management practice such as ISO 15489. Such best

practice applies to records irrespective of any format

or media, created or received by any public or private

organization during the course of its activities (ISO

2001:4). Based on the records life-cycle and continuum,

the key elements would include but not be limited to the:

legislative and organizational framework; creation and

capturing records; use of records; format of the records;

organization and classification of the record collection;

access and security of records; records appraisal,

retention and disposal; storage of records; staffing

and training; vital records management and disaster

management; and mail/correspondence management.

It is also prudent to assess and understand the man-

agement of e-records management in general and also

the integration of records management practices in ICT

systems and platform in existence, in on-going projects

and future implementations in labour organizations.

Existing e-records readiness indicators

The study established that some selected generic indi-

cators based on existing assessment tools were essen-

tial to validating and consolidating the understanding

Figure 2. Proposed e-records readiness framework for labour organisations

212 Information Development 28(3)

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of the overall basis of the breadth and depth of

e-readiness in labour organizations. These indicators

assisted to illuminate the status of e-records readiness.

It is therefore proposed that such a framework

should include but not be limited to specifically related

e-records readiness indicators such as: policies and

responsibilities for records and information manage-

ment; tools and procedures for records and information

management; e-records management products and tech-

nologies; resources and training for records and infor-

mation management personnel; and internal and

public awareness of records and information

management.

National e-readiness environment

As discussed earlier, several e-records readiness tools

do have a bearing on the national approach to ICT.

The current study established that the national ICT

policy and attendant e-records management initiatives

do underline the need for several sectors to be holisti-

cally engaged if they have to be drivers in an infor-

mation society. The study also affirmed the need

for labour organizations to be integrated into the

information society within the context of the current

e-government strategies. It is therefore key that any

examination and understanding should take into

account the following aspects:

� Extent to which the ICT policy and legislative

framework have attempted to integrate labour orga-

nizations in the overall national ICT initiatives;

� Extent to which the use of ICTs in government

agencies has been able to support the delivery of

quality public services to labour organizations;

� Factors that are likely to restrict adoption of

access to ICTs in labour organizations;

� Current efforts to integrate labour organizations in

the drive for an information society in Botswana;

� Type of collaborative training and ICT training

programmes available for labour organizations

to build competences and capacity for effective

social dialogue; and

� The role of National Archives and Records Services

in integrating all sectors including the labour organi-

zations in the e-government strategy in Botswana.

Trade Union organizational culture

The study underscored the fact that labour organiza-

tions are membership-based, and have unique core

collective functions such collective bargaining, orga-

nizing and mobilization, service to members, among

others. Most of the labour organizations are not as

highly formalized as government and business but are

a mixture of power and role (bureaucratic) culture.

Most are funded differently, have different objectives,

and operate in different environments. They also have

different information seeking patterns and informa-

tion skills and competences. The study also estab-

lished that appreciating this organizational trade

union culture is crucial to the examination and under-

standing of the depth and breadth of e-records readi-

ness in such organizations. In that regard, the

organization culture formed part of the framework.

Conclusions

This paper has established from the literature

reviewed and empirical data that labour organizations

in Botswana have now embraced the utilization of

ICTs in negotiations and bargaining; recruitment;

administrative costs reduction; reinvention and

improved public image; improved services; enhanced

democracy and accountability; and generally for

communication. It is in this light that we have

explored the need to have a framework to appropri-

ately examine and understand e-record readiness in

labour organizations so that the extent of the man-

agement of e-records could be properly understood.

The study established that e-records readiness was

evidently low and evolving as evidenced by the slow

adoption of ICTs; inadequate records management

standards and practices; and low integration in the

national e-readiness framework. Thus to promote

effective e-records readiness in labour organizations,

there is need to consider several recommendations

that could point to the effective ICT adoption and use,

adoption of best records management practices and

effective integration of labour organizations into

national e-readiness strategies. Particularly, the study

proposed framework that may be used in examining

and understanding e-records readiness in labour

organizations.

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About the authors

Trywell Kalusopa is a PhD candidate in the Department of

Information Science at University of South Africa

(UNISA). He is also currently a Senior Lecturer in the

Department of Library and Information Studies at the Uni-

versity of Botswana. He has taught and done research at

university level for close to 17 years and is credited with

several articles in international journals as well as book

chapters. His current research interests are electronic

records management, emerging technologies, information

security, labour relations and labour information systems.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Library and Information

Studies (University of Zambia) and MSc. in Information

Science (Addis Ababa University), Department of Library

& Information Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University

of Botswana, P/Bag 00703, Gaborone, Botswana.

Patrick Ngulube, PhD, is a professor in the School of

Graduate Studies the University of South Africa (UNISA)

and has served in various portfolios within the East and

Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International

Council on Archives (ESARBICA). He is the Editor-in-

Chief of the South African Journal of Libraries and Infor-

mation Science. His research interests are indigenous

knowledge systems, knowledge management, records man-

agement, e-government and the preservation of access to

information. Contact: University of South Africa, School

of Arts, Department of Information Science, PO Box 392,

UNISA 0003, Pretoria, South Africa. Tel: þ27 12 429

2832. Fax: þ27 12 429 3792 or þ27 866142512. Email:

ngulup@unisa.ac.za Personal fax: þ27 867307293. Web-

site: www.unisa.ac.za/patrickngulube

Kalusopa and Ngulube: Developing an e-records readiness framework for labour organizations in Botswana 215

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