LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING

ARCHIVES MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 3
WEEK 3 & 4

JANNATUL IZA AHMAD KAMAL

PUNCAK PERDANA CAMPUS
 FACULTY OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
IMR 455: ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION

At the end of the chapter, students should be:

• able to develop an archives policy

• able to explain the responsibilities under the law
• able to describe the internal structure and organization
• able to develop the procedures manuals on archives administration
DEVELOPING AN ARCHIVES POLICY

Every institution Archives need Archives should

must review its to refer to a clearly
policy regularly. trusted indicated the
to ensure its consultative roles of

Review Policy

body
Refer to consultative

Specified the roles

business body to revise organization in
remains its mission relation to
relevant to the statement from administrative
community. time to time records and
recordkeeping.
THE ROLES OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Preserve
Inspire Encourage and
Nurture Awareness Promote
To nurture the To increase To inspire the To encourage To preserve
records awareness public to the use of and promote
management about the deposit their archival the use of
standard in important of valuable materials as a archival
public agency public records records/ source of materials as a
by providing by preserving archives research nation’s history
good advisory the institutional material to materials through variety
service and memories of archives among the of outreach
formulation of public through public program such
Archives organizations donations, community as exhibition,
Administration in accordance purchase, loan workshop,
Act. with prescribed and other conferences
standards. means. and many
more.
ARCHIVAL LAW
Provisions under archival
Law

Establishment of the archives as a public

institution.

A public right of access to the holdings of the

archives.

Protection for the rights of individuals and

organizations.

Provision for public scrutiny of the archival

institution and its success in achieving its target.
 ARCHIVAL LAW
a) Establishment of the archives as a public institution.

The law should grants the fundamental power and obligations. These incorporate a meaning of
purview of the establishments over records produced on the government services and over any
records of significance that are incorporated into the transmit of the archival institution.

According to the National Archives Act 2003, this provision is stipulated under the
following section
 Section 4-

There shall be established a National Archives of Malaysia, which is declared to be a

federal archives, for the purpose of providing guidelines in the creation, acquisition,
storage and the preservation of records and providing facilities for references, research
or other purposes.

 Section 7-

The power and duties of National Archives of Malaysia are stated under this section,
such as,

(a) to examine records which are in the custody or under the control of a public office, to
identify records which are of permanent or enduring national or historical value or both
and to advise on the creation, maintenance, storage, use and disposal of such records.

(b) to acquire records and materials which in the opinion of the Director General are or
likely to be of permanent or enduring national or historical value or both.
 RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE LAW
(CONTINUE)

b) A public right of access to the holdings of the archives.

This enactment will incorporate an approach on a opening of government records under clear conditions; as a
rule pass of time, and a workable method for affectability audit and declassification.

Public rights of access ought to be obviously characterized and as far as possible, take after the best models for
this sort of enactment. Where there is freedom of information enactment; this more often than not compensates
everything else, except endeavors ought to be made to guarantee that it is perfect with both the letter and the
spirit of documented enactment.

According to the National Archives Act 2003, this provision is stipulated under the following
section

 Section 37

(1) Public archives shall be made available to the public after twenty-five years from the date of
conclusion of the records or material forming the public Archives or such period as the Director
General may prescribe.

(3) The proper officer may make available to the members of public, subject to such procedures or
restrictions may be prescribed, any public archives for references, research or other purposes.
 RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE LAW
(CONTINUE)

c) Protection for the rights of individuals and organizations.

(that may have given data held in the records, under terms of secrecy)

These provision ought to likewise comply with the best models. There is privacy/ security or information
assurance enactment; this more often than not compensates everything else, except endeavors ought to
be made to guarantee that it is perfect with both the letter and spirit of archival enactment.

For instance: The Malaysian Personal Data Protection Act 2010

According to the National Archives Act 2003, this provision is stipulated

under the following section

 Section 38-

(2) The Director General may permit a person to make reference to classified
records if that person has obtained special authority in writing in that behalf from
the administrative head of the office responsible for those classified records.
 RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE LAW
(CONTINUE)

d) Provision for public scrutiny of the archives and its success in achieving its
target.

Ought to be in a perfect incorporate foundation of structures whereby guidance,

consultation and coordination with parallel administrations can be gotten in the
definition of strategy and the execution of projects and exercises.

According to the National Archives Act 2003, this provision is stipulate

under the following section

 Section 11-

There shall be established an Advisory Board for the purpose of advising the
Director General in the performance of his functions and the exercise of his
power under this Act.
THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF MALAYSIAN RECORDS AND
ARCHIVES LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS TO THE
ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION IN MALAYSIA

National Archives Act 2003 (Act 629)

Government Circulars (Pekeliling-pekeliling Kerajaan)

Treasuries Instruction (Arahan-arahan Perbendaharaan)

Safety Instruction (Arahan Keselamatan)

etc
PEKELILING PERKHIDMATAN BILANGAN 5 TAHUN
2007 (PANDUAN PENGURUSAN PEJABAT)

The circular has given power and duties to Archival

Institution in managing archives, such as:

 Bahagian VII, Perkara 7.18

Jabatan dan agensi hendaklah mendapatkan nasihat Jabatan

Arkib Negara sebelum melaksanakan pelupusan fail.

 Bahagian VIII, Perkara 8.7

Ketua Jabatan dan Ketua Agensi hendaklah menyediakan Jadual

Pelupusan Rekod Fungsian Jabatan dan mendapat kelulusan
Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Arkib Negara Malaysia.
 OTHER MALAYSIA GOVERNMENT
CIRCULARS AND INSTRUCTIONS

 Surat Pekeliling Am Bil. 1/2003 (Pengumpulan dan

Pemeliharaan Surat-surat Persendirian Penjawat-Penjawat
Tinggi Kerajaan di Arkib Negara Malaysia)

 Surat Pekeliling Perbendaharaan Bil. 4 Tahun 2007.

 Arahan Perbendaharaan 299

 Arahan Keselamatan

 Jadual Pelupusan Rekod Kewangan

dan Perakaunan
INTERNAL STRUCTURE AND
ORGANISATION

Normally, an Archives have four (4) groups of activities, which

can usefully be linked in the departmental structure. These are:

Archives
Institution

Search Room Finding Aids

Repository Preservation
Or &
Services
Reference Area Publications

Figure 1:
Activities Linked In The Departmental Structure Of Archival Institution
REPOSITORY
reception of new
Security of the archival materials
repository into archival
repository

Movements of
archival materials Physical control of
into and out of the archival materials
repository

Arrangements of Provision of
archival materials equipment for
based on the preservation of
archival principles archival materials
activities

Preservation of
archival materials
SEARCH ROOM OR REFERENCE AREA

Assist and guide users in

Provisions of the process ordering and
reproduction facilities reserving of archival
materials

Provisions of reference
facilities for users and
Issues and return of maintenance of
archival materials; reference area to suit
the environment for
the consultation of
archival materials

Managing users
registration and
conduct of use
FINDING AIDS AND PUBLICATIONS
Planning
exhibitions and
other outreach
activities

Preparation
and
publications of
Administrative finding aids to
control of the holdings
holdings

Activities

Other
publications

Carry out
research
analysis based
on the archives
objectives
PRESERVATION SERVICES
Copying and Preservation
photographic facilities (minor
equipment and repair and major
programs repair)

Maintenance and
monitoring of the
environment Binding activities
conditions in the
archives
repository
GUIDELINES AND MANUAL ON
ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION
 GUIDELINES AND MANUAL ON
ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION
(CONTINUE)

• All the archives administration manuals and guidelines should be documented and routinely updated.
This is to ensure that all the procedures are well understood by the archives professionals and they will
comprehend of their task and they will have capacity to direct their assignments in right techniques or
conducts.

The examples of manual on archives administration at National Archives of Malaysia, which being used are :

•Panduan Pemindahan Rekod Awam 2016

•Panduan Pengurusn Rekod Penting Kerajaan
•Dasar Pentadbiran Arkib
Conventional records/ archives
•Peliharaan Rekod
•Pemindahan Rekod
•Pemusnahan Rekod etc

•Dasar Pengurusan Rekod dan Arkib Elektronik

•Garis Panduan Pengurusan Rekod Elektronik
Electronic records •Pengurusan Rekod Elektronik dan Persekitaran Berstruktur
•Pengurusan Rekod Elektronik dan Persekitaran Tidak Berstruktur etc
 FACULTY OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
IMR 455: ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION

Chapter 3 has introduced the concept of archives policy, the responsibilities under the law by
giving National Archives of Malaysia Act 2003 as an example and describe about the
professional ethics for archivists. This chapter also has described the internal structure and
organization and explained several procedures manuals on archives administration that suit
with current practice of Malaysia
 FACULTY OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
IMR 455: ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION

References
(n.d.). Retrieved February13, 2016, from http://www.arkib.gov.my/web/guest/home
(n.d.). Retrieved August 03, 2017, from http://www.arkib.gov.my/web/guest/home
International Council on Archives |. (n.d.). Retrieved February13, 2016, from
http://www.ica.org/
IRMT (1999). Managing archives. London : International Records Management Trust.
IRMT (1999). Managing archives : A procedures manual. London : International
Records Management Trust.
 FACULTY OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
IMR 455: ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION

Quizzes

Choose TRUE (T) or FALSE (F) for the statements below

1.Archives need to refer to trusted consultative body in revising its mission statement from time
to time.

2.Search room or reference area is closely connected with the activities of reception of new
materials in archival custody.
 FACULTY OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
IMR 455: ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION

Quizzes

1.Identify four (4) groups of activities, which can usefully be linked in the departmental
structure.

2.List any activities that connected with Finding Aids and Publication department.