Digitisation and access of public contracts : a case study related to the Notarial Archives of Malta

Abstract

Archives, live historical documents accumulated over years showing the lifetime of a person or an organization which need to be taken care of and preserved well as there is the chance of them being lost forever. Advancements in technology have come a long way and a way to protect valuable and fragile copies is Digitisation. With Digitisation a digital copy of the original object can be created, thus preventing the loss of the said object due to deterioration or destruction. Over the years, the Public Service of Malta has implemented diverse strategies with regards to digitisation. This study focused on digitisation as a means of creating digital copies in Archival environment and also the process of digitisation at the Office of the Notary to Government. Based on results obtained, this process is seen as the way forward in creating digital copies of original books, collections etc. it was concluded that it is not a harmful process but what could harm originals is the lack of good and well planned process and lack of training in handling such books. Results suggest that overall the digitisation process in its whole at the Office of the Notary to Government works well although issues persist. The system of acquiring contracts from the same office has been praised. The study shows that since the introduction of the online system, users still visit the NTG but not frequently as they used to resulting in fewer visits. Notwithstanding the results derived, suggestions were made for the process at the NTG to be of more success in fulfilling its overall purpose that to offer the best service to customers.