Strengthening the mandate of documentary heritage in Uganda

Background: Preserving the world’s documentary heritage is crucial, particularly in areas affected by conflict or natural disasters, as it allows for universal access to valuable records and information stored in libraries, museums, and other archival facilities. In many countries including Uganda, documentary heritage is challenged by absence of streamlined mandate to guide the preservation o documentary heritage. Purpose: This paper aims at providing strategies for the strengthening mandate of legal deposit to guide preservation and availability of documentary heritage in Uganda. Research Design: Through a survey design, data was obtained from documentary review in addition to a survey and physical visits observations obtained from the memory institutions that are presumed to receive documentary heritage in the country. Study Sample: Data was collected from sixteen memory institutions, seven of which were visited physically and nine responded to a survey tool to provide input. Data Collection and analysis: Data was collected using a google form and was analysed using the features google tools. Results: The paper presents the services offered by memory institutions for the preservation of documentary heritage and provides the comprehensiveness of the mandated legal deposit centres with regards to preservation and accessibility of documentary heritage in Uganda. In addition, the paper assess the mandate of University libraries in legal deposit provision as a strategy for strengthening preservation of documentary heritage. The paper establishes that one cause of such inadequacy of the mandate of documentary heritage is unavailability of coordinated policy framework for receiving the legal deposit of publications published in Uganda, by Ugandans and on Uganda. There is also witnessed inadequate execution of mandates in the area of legal deposit. Conclusions: Whereas the National Library of Uganda’s role is slightly different in mandate, established to collect and manage the country’s documentary heritage, responsibility could be enhanced by improved mandates of other memory institutions including University libraries. Strengthening the mandate of documentary heritage, requires a policy changes to ensure the needs of educators, researchers, authors, education sector and entire public to enjoy the expected services offered by libraries in the country.