Tanzania's research in library, archives and documentation studies

This study investigates records disaster recovery planning at Bagamoyo District Council, Tanzania, addressing a gap in local government-level research on the subject. Guided by four, examining existing records disaster recovery policies and practices, identifying disaster types affecting the Council, determining challenges hindering effective planning, and proposing strengthening strategies, the study adopted a case study design combining questionnaires and interviews with 20 staff respondents, including records managers, IT officers, heads of department, and administrative staff. Findings reveal a partially developed and inconsistently implemented records disaster recovery framework: only half of respondents were aware of a documented plan, and just 45% knew who was responsible for its implementation. Backup practices were irregular, with 25% of respondents reporting rare or no backups, and 30% storing backups either in the same building as originals or not at all. System/IT failure (40%) and theft/vandalism (35%) were perceived as the greatest threats, together outweighing natural hazards such as fire and flooding. Over half of respondents had received no or incomplete training in records disaster recovery, contributing to only "fair" self-rated knowledge levels. The study concludes that despite legal obligations under Tanzania's Records and Archives Management Act No. 3 of 2002, the Council's vital records remain vulnerable to loss due to weak policy dissemination, inconsistent backup practices, and limited staff capacity. It recommends formalizing and communicating the disaster recovery plan, standardizing secure backup practices, prioritizing cybersecurity and physical security measures, and investing in regular staff training, while proposing further research across multiple local government authorities to assess the generalizability of these findings.