Abstract:
This study was conducted to access the effectiveness of records and how it improves the quality
of service delivery at Justo Mwale. The objectives to this study were to investigate the
effectiveness of records management and how it improves the quality of service delivery, the
second one was to find out the extent to which records management affects service delivery, the
third one was to examine how records from Justo Mwale are managed, the fourth was to find out
strategies, techniques, methods used in the management of records the fifth was to find out the
challenges faced in ensuring that there is effective records management. and the last one was to
ascertain if the institution has any records appraisal system. The total number of participants was
18 and the research instrument which was used to collect primary data was an interview guide and
a questionnaire. The findings of the study show that effective records management improves
service delivery. The major conclusions were that Justo Mwale university has not fully embraced
the concept of records management. Management of records has not been acknowledged and
recognized as the key resource in achieving goals and objectives this is because it does not have a
well formulated and implemented records management appraisal system put in place, secondly
there is an inappropriate decentralized records management system, thirdly the institution lacks
finances, further, it puts little effort in digitizing its records ,furthermore it lacks appropriate
finding aids, management support and storage equipment. The major recommendations were that
the institution should prioritize the management of records and include record management
practices in their annual budget, it should have records management officers who are well
qualified, further it should have a centralized registry system. Furthermore, it should have policies,
strategies, techniques and methods, additionally efforts to start to automate and digitized records
should maximize. Lastly Justo Mwale should work with Zambian national archives and other
documentations centers.
