Preservation and Conservation of Old Administrative Records in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State

Abstract

The study examined the preservation and conservation of old administrative records in the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. Three objectives were examined for the study namely: the techniques used in preservation and conservation of old administrative records, the causes of deterioration of these old administrative records in Etche, and the challenges. The descriptive survey research was adopted on a total of (28) employees and management of Etche Local Government Area. A total of 18 employees and 10 management staff were used. The study found among other things that the effect of rodents, fire, floods, dampness, moisture, etc. were the major causes of deterioration of old administrative records. Identified challenges were lack of record offices, lack of policy strategy, staff and funds. Based on the findings, a number of recommendations were made, which include: employment of professional staff, training and retraining of staff, good funding and policy statement in the area of disaster preparedness, so as to reduce loss or damage of old administrative records.