Archives in an Academic Library: The Case of a Private University in the Philippines

Records in the university archives are important sources of information for researchers and other stakeholders because these are created to preserve and conserve the institutional memory and the local cultural heritage. The study used the qualitative method of research to determine the status of the University Archives of Saint Mary’s University (Philippines) in terms of: 1) scope, interpretation, and objectives; 2) functions of the University Archives; 3) structure and staffing pattern; 4) management of archival records; 5) transparency of transactions and access to information; (6) standards, inspection, reporting, and audit; 7) administration of University Archives; 8) miscellaneous provisions; 9) permanent buildings and; 10) amendments to implementing rules and regulations. A researcher-rated checklist was devised based on the Republic Act (RA) 9470 and was put into the context of a university archives. Moreover, document scanning was used to provide proof or pieces of evidence on the real status of the archives in the university library. Findings revealed that the University Archives showed compliance to most of the provisions of RA 9470 except for a few that needed stronger emphasis on the importance of compliance to standards. Archives continue to play its role in the academic and research community and that the archivists and librarian in-charge must innovate ways to be more relevant in the millennium age and even in a pandemic crisis like Covid-19