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Introduction
The rise in the creation of electronic records (e-records) by governments’ administrations is undeniable. Studies on records management in Namibia (Nengomasha, 2009; Matangira et al., 2013) and in Zimbabwe (Sigauke, 2014; Matangira, 2016; Mutsagondo, 2017) have reported an increase in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by the governments, and the resultant creation of e-records. Reports from other parts of the world, such as the USA confirm this rise in e-records creation. President Bill Clinton transferred 20 million email records and four terabytes of e-records at the end of his administration. His successor, President George W. Bush, transferred 200 million email records and 80 terabytes of e-records. It is envisaged that the figures for the Obama administration have skyrocketed (Morris, 2016). They all, however, lament challenges in the management of these e-records with recommendations to adopt e-records management systems (ERMS) to enhance their management.
Challenges in the management of e-records have led to the adoption of ERMS to enhance their management. Porter-Roth (as cited in Manikas, 2015, p. 13) explains that the spread of technology use has led to the creation of different types of records such as “word processing documents, emails, faxes, instant messaging, text messaging, digital images - scanned paper documents, and new media type such as blogs and wikis” in a variety of data formats. An ERMS can provide an integrated way to manage these different types of records effectively (Manikas, 2015).
Government institutions as well as other organisations may decide to acquire or develop an ERMS or integrated electronic document management system (EDMS) and an ERMS. Integration “results from the need to ensure that documents in an EDMS that qualify as records will be designated as such and given the special treatment and protection they require” (Sprehe, 2004, p. 56). EDMS and ERMS each perform some unique functions and have certain functions in common. For example, both EDMS and ERMS retrieve, view and print documents or records. However, records cannot be changed in an ERMS while documents can be created and changed in an EDMS. An EDMS manages the creation, storage and control of documents electronically. Where there is an integration of an EDMS and ERMS, documents declared records are exported to the control of an ERMS....