INTRODUCTION

RECORDS AND INFORMATION RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN PRIVATE ORGANIZATION: A CASE STUDY OF SHELL PETROLEUM DEVELOP= MET COMPANY (SPDC) WARRI.

IWHIWHU ENEMUTE BASIL

BEING A PAPER PRESENTED AT AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE= ON PRESERVATION AND ACCESS FOR DIGITAL COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY RESOURCES (ECURE 2005) HELD AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, TEMPE. USA. FEBRUARY 28 – MARC= H 1, 2005.

PREAMBLE

I sincerely thank the organisers of this conference “ECURE 2005”,= for providing an enabling environment for this intellectual exercise and for gi= ving me the opportunity to share in it. I mostly appreciate Mr. Rob Spindler for constantly furnishing me with informatio= n and the assistance offered to enable me participate in this conference. Thanks.

ABSTRACT

The study is based on the management of records in private organisation in Nigeria with emphasis on Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). This is to ascertain the place of records and archives management in private organisations. Relevant issues explored include; access to records, personn= el, equipment and facilities for storage and maintenance. The questionnaire was used for collection of data. The result reveals that, though records in SPDC are appreciable well managed there is room for improvement. Some problems encountered include inadequate computer terminals, poor/incomplete reportin= g, space problem and lack of professionally trained records managers and archivists. Recommendations were made to improving records management pract= ices in SPDC and other organisations in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION

Records and information are a corporate resource. It enables an organisation to ope= rate smoothly and achieve its goals. Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) = is a Multinational organisation with branches worldwide. = Nigeria is one of the nations hosting SPDC, being an Oil producing nation. It is the pioneer and the larg= est hydrocarbon exploration and production company in the country. It was originally known as Shell D’Archy and lat= er Shell BP (shell British Petroleum), and started its operations in 1937 but was given an oil exploration licence on November 4, 1939. The company discovered the first commercial oil field at Oloibiri in Bayelsa state in 1956, and through a sustained explor= ation effort had since discovered more oil fields which have firmly established t= he company in Nigeria. From a modest production of 6,000 barrels of crude oil per day in 1958, its production capacity as date has increased to 1,000,000 barrels of oil per d= ay. Though, they have the capacity of producing over 1.3 million barrel per day= .

In support of its mission and realisation of objectives, SPDC creates, receives and maintains records which document the functions, activities and transact= ions carried out in the cause of its operations. These (records) are the basis f= or organizational accountability, compliance with legislative requirements and= the development of the “corporate memory.”

The ability to identify, and locate information which is critical for current decision-making, and to determine what policies and procedures were followed during the conduct of business is essential to the operations of SPDC. One cannot adequately talk about information and its importance without making reference to records. Informa= tion is generated from records, what ever may be the source of information avail= able to an organization, be it internal or external origin, is derived from reco= rds. Information and records are thus two phenomena which have much to do with e= ach other. Information is an inherent part of record and can be described as be= ing record, regardless of the format or media on which they appear. =

Records play an immeasurable rol= e in administration, because managers and administrators employ it on a routine basis as an aid in carrying out diverse administrative duties especially in decision-making. The information received helps to enlighten and educate th= em on issues relevant to themselves and the organization. Hence, there is a gr= eat need to manage records and information resource effectively in order to ach= ieve administrative effectiveness and to cut down organization’s expenditu= re on records.

Records and information resource management is a management tool, which cannot be dispensed within any organization, owing to the important role it plays in administration. Effec= tive record keeping is sine qua non to administrative effectiveness in organisat= ions. It assures adequate documentation to make possible, rapid retrieval of information contained therein, whenever needed; secure maintenance, and las= tly, the regular retirement procedures that simultaneously remove from active fi= le the costly and confusing cluster of obsolete records and make provision for= the preservation in the archives, of the small fraction of which has continuing value.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON SPDC OPERATIONAL RECORDS IN NIGERIA

Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) is the pion= eer and leader of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. It has the largest a= creage in the country from which it produces some 50 percent of the nation’s petroleum products. The company’s operations are concentrated in the Niger Delta and adjoining shallow offshore areas where it operates in an oil mining lease of around 81,000 kilometres. SPDC has more then 6,000 kilometr= es of pipe lines and flow lines, 87 flow stations, 8 gas plants and more than 1,000 producing wells.

The company has generated over the years, lots of reco= rds which this study is aimed at reviewing to know how these records are being = maintained and managed. This study would also focus on the usefulness of these generat= ed records and if there is a central body that manages the raw data gathered f= rom the field with the aim of providing useful information for the smooth operations of the company.

THE PROBLEM

The world today is considered an= information society, as a result of the fact that information has rapidly become the driving force behind the development of nations. Saxby (1990) noted that the communication of information has provided the raw materials for societal development. Development is significantly enhanced by information. Informat= ion is both an integral part of development and a powerful instrument for furtheri= ng the process of development. In this regard, development refers to the degre= e to which a society has improved its environment in terms of social, economic a= nd political well-being.

What keeps most organization goi= ng in any modern system of administration are “records”, which are us= ed for planning, decision-making, and control. This is made easier with the introduction of the information and communication technology. Telfer (1998) admits that technology has served libra= ries well and that it has fulfilled its promise by eliminating tedium of organization and access tasks.

Despite the value of records as corporate memory of the organisation that created them, proper management of records that will result in use, maintenance and disposition is hardly given high priority in organisations in Nigeria. It is often observed= that despite the invaluable role record play in organisations, officials often exhibit misconceptions and indifference to the management of records. =

For relevant information policie= s to be established and document management systems developed, policy makers and developers must see the highly interconnected nature of information, docume= nts and records. Because for some reasons managers usually are very interested = in the use of information in the work place but are disdainful of records mana= gement practices, this gives one course to wonder.

As a result, this study will foc= us on SPDC records with emphasis on how SPDC generate records, the kinds of information contained in the records, use of= the records, problems encountered in the course of using the operational record= s as information sources, the format in which records appear, storage facilities= , access to records, users, information safety etc. SPDC as a multinational company, no doubt wou= ld have generated volumes of records and the problem of managing these records= is imminent. This study is an attempt to unravel the misery= behind the poor record management practices in Nigeria. The following questions shall be us= ed as a guide;

= Is there any policy governing the management of records in SHELL?
= Are there professionally trained Records Managers/Archivists managing the records?
= Are there acquisition policy, retention and disposition schedule?
= What records are created and used by SPDC?
= How are the records stored and used?
= Do they have a Record Centre and or Archival Institution?

THE PURPOSE

Despite the National Archives De= cree (1992) which gives impetus to the management of records in Nigeria= (both public and private) research has shown that public records are not managed = with the guidelines provided in the Decree. A study by Iwhiwhu on the National Electric Power Authority and Nigerian Universities reveal= s that those administering the records are not aware of this decree. (Iwhiwhu, 199= 8, 2004 and 2005). To make a balanced judgement, there is need to consider the records of private organisations and make a case for the full implementation/enforcement and or problems encountered with the Decree since the earlier studies were mainly on public organisations.

The research therefore, is aimed= at investigating the need for organizations in Nigeria to embrace the record= s and information resource management programme for effective and efficient management of organizations by managers, or administrators for the full realization of organizational goals. This study shall focus on the operatio= nal records of SPDC, Warri office where seismic records are created, disseminat= ed and used for Shell operations.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This research method used is mai= nly the survey method through the use of a questionnaire. It however used observati= on and interview methods as well. A total of= 100 questionnaires were administered and only 62 were retrieved from respondents amongst the group under study (Chart I). Of these 100 questionnaires, 30 we= re administered to custodians of the understudied records while 70 were admini= stered to the field workers mainly in operations/production departments. Data collected were analyzed and= results fully interpreted. Discussions were made, conclusion drawn and appropriate recommendation(s) made.

Chart I: Questionnaires Administered

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RESULT AND = DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Results from the study reveal that the respondent̵= 7;s age ranges from 26-45 years. Both male and female respondents from different department were involved in this study. Some married while some were single= s. But the study showed that, field respondents consists only of males, while = the records custodians include few females as custodian of records in SPDC (chart II and III).

Chart II: Sex Distribution

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Chart III: Age Distribution

36 = 211; 45 Years

26 = 211; 35 Years

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The result also show that outside the custodians of the records who are mainly librarians, engineers in the various areas or field = of engineering were involved in records generation. The result reveals that fi= eld workers were the generators of the records while those in the office were t= he custodians of the records. This is with regards to the records under study.= It therefore means that records custodians are mainly Librarians and not train= ed Records Managers and or Archivists.

Table I: Working Experience

Working Experience	Frequency=	Percentag= es (%)
1 – 5 Years	60	97
6 – 10 years	-	-
11 – 16 years	-	-
16 years and above	2	3
Total	31	100<= /o:p>

The result from table one shows that the working experience of the respondents ranged from within 1 – 5 years (60, 97%) and two had over 16 years (3%) working experience. This is so because SPDC = have contract staff in the library and archives. The implication is that such st= aff could be changed from time-to-time. Though this is not proper for the manag= ement of a sensitive aspect of an organisation like records, the reason for this = is best known to SPDC management. Since good record keeping requires experience which make for efficiency.

SPDC RECORDS GENERATION AND USE

From Chart IV below, 8 (13%) respondents said records = are generated from field reports, by sourcing and gathering of data and inspect= ion and auditing respectively while 2 (3%) said it is on the job development, a= nd documentation respectively. Others, 18 (29%) said it is from field location= and observation, 6 (10%) said it is from authorised personnel and 4 (6%) from manual data gathering.

Chart IV: Records Generation

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On what records are used by SPDC in their operations, = the result revealed that 6 (19%) respondents are of the opinion that field reco= rds related to health, safety and environment are used, 19 (61%) said records f= or operation are from reports and production data, 2 (7%) said records for operations are from daily operational records.

Chart V: Means of Generating Field Records

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The result shows that majority of the field information are obtained from field reports, 14 (23%) and Inspection and audit/observat= ion, 20 (32%) as indicated by the respondents. Other means are through the development and production teams, Production Section on Daily basis and use= of process instruments were 4 (6%) respondents respectively. While 2 (3%) indicated that it is through electronic and operator interface and by asking questions/photography respectively.

Having obtained this information a report will be writ= ten and sent to the library for safe keeping. This involves data collection, analysis, vetting, cross referencing, logging, scrutiny by appropriate authority etc. The report then goes to the library through document control= ler, personal delivery by team supervisor(s) etc after notifying the library thr= ough an initial e-mail sent by the originating department.

Chart VI: Records Used in SPDC

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The result revealed that some records are generated fr= om field records (H.S.E), 12 (19%), reports and publication data, 38 (61%), Corporate Memory Records, 4 (17%), Daily Operational Records, 8 (13%), location/observation, documentation among others as shown in chart VI. Also= the formats in which these records exist shows that majority of the field worke= rs had no idea while others indicated that they appear in microfilm, CD ROM, transparencies, video tapes/CD, audio tapes and Papers. The result shows th= at the record content are daily production records, daily operations jobs, and daily maintenance job. Though majority of the respondents are not aware of = the content of records, it goes to show the strict control and restriction plac= ed on operational records. =

Chart VII: Purpose of Record Generation/Use=

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The result shown on chart VII indicates that 8 (13%) r= espondents said it is used in monitoring productivity, planning and appraisals respectively while 4 (7) said it is to improve productivity. Other 34 (55%)= had no idea. However, all respondents confirmed the use of records in enhancing= performance and productivity. As a result, it leads to the achievement of SPDC organizational objectives.

None-the-less, problems are also encountered in the ca= use of using these records. The respondents indicated that there is problem of incorrect report which affects production and decision and this leads to operation difficulties / failures.

The result shows that operational records are administ= ered or managed by the librarian/”Archivist”. Others are of the view that they were managed by field workers and operational managers of each records generating department. This is so because while a copy of the gener= ated records goes to the library/archives, the generating department also keeps a copy for their records. These respondents’ view may be that they are ignorant of the copy sent to the library/archives.

RECORDS STO= RAGE AND MAINTENANCE

The respondents noted that the library has the required storage facilities for records. Personal observation shows that they have mobile steel shelves in addition to wooden shelves, cabinets, computer and racks. The Library software used for records storage is initially LIPSIS la= ter to Ms-office applications - EDMS (Electronic document management system) and presently live link. This migration from one software package to the other = is as result of the need to have user friendly software to facilitate storage = and retrieval of information materials.

The security measures put in place to protect the reco= rds from damage or theft include: pass wording systems, security guard in libra= ry, electronic data facilities for accessing information on the database, unauthorised users are not allowed into the library. As such there is defin= ed access control; air conditioners are provided to maintained temperature and humidity, quarterly fumigation, fire hazard prevention measures and external back-up systems for electronic records. The storage and management of recor= ds in the archives is boxing and keeping records in stacks.<= /p>

The retrieval tools are; the index, register and catalogue. Library users are mainly the custodians or the records generator= s. However, some uses the library through their PC in their personal offices. = The response from the respondents reveals that they are satisfied with the pres= ent mode of information dissemination in S.P.D.C except for those who have no access to PCs in their offices hence the need for more PCs to facilitate so= me of the services cannot be overemphasised, and the reports should be sent to= the library after conclusion of a field work/operation.

PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH RECORDS MANAGEMENT

There is the problem of determination of information n= eeds of users and inability of departments to submit report to the library in go= od condition. As a result there is retrieval problem over stored information. = Also, space problems were emphasised in both the library and the archives. <= /o:p>

ACCESS TO SPDC RECORDS

Shell Petroleum Development Comp= any (SPDC) keeps its document in both hard copy and electronic formats. The electronic records are stored in databases which are made available to staff of SPDC through various computer terminals within the organisation. Users can brows= e the sww/www from various work- stations, and those without access usually on request, information is downloaded and disseminat= ed to them with restrictions on non-business sites. That is, only business sit= es can be accessed freely via workstations. Other information that are regarde= d as confidential but on their database catalogue requires the user’s phys= ical presence at the co-operate library to use such material because they are no= t allowed to be taken outside the library. Users are expected to come physically to borrow books.

All library users must have thei= r SPDC ID card on them whenever they are in the library. The use of the confidenti= al rooms requires authorization from the H.O.D of the user and external users usuall= y do not have access to these rooms. Industrial Training students and youth corp= ers can use the library but cannot borrow books from the library. Contract staf= f are not allowed to use the library or borrow books from the library. For resear= ch purposes, a letter of recommendation from the researcher’s institutio= n to the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to SPDC, and a confirmation le= tter from DPR give access to the library materials. The operational records of SPDC are not accessible to members of = the public except for research documents, general information records, manuals, bulletin and that which has interface with third party and non - business documents.

Seismic records in SPDC usually = consist of reports on various field operations i.e. reports on how a potential site= was discovered, how the drilling of oil started, the instruments used in the process, detailed drilling instruments, and processes, area measurement and manpower requirements, communication instruments like telephone lines and gopher lines. Seismic records usually contain detailed reports of off-shore operations and they usually contain the same information although with slig= ht deferral in the location, (maybe different drilling technique and sometimes ethnic disturbances). These records are usually confidential, they are not = to be copied and only a catalogue of them is provided on their database. They = are stored in the corporate library of Shell.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

The result of this research shows that to a large exte= nt, employees of SPDC are ignorant of the happenings in the libr= ary and they also exhibit a nonchalant attitude towards records. The few who took their time to know the life - cycle of records in SPDC seems to be satisfied with their present operations except<= span lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'font-family:Verdana'> for a very few who ventured to voice out their opinions.

Though the management of records and information resou= rces in SPDC are appreciable, there is room for improvement. <= /p>

RECOMMENDAT= ION

Based on the findings of this research, it is recommen= ded that S.P.D.C should;

<= ![if !supportLists]>1&nb= sp; Employ professionally trained records managers and archivists and send the present staff for on the job training in archives and records management.

<= ![if !supportLists]>2&nb= sp; Organise se= minars / workshops to educate their staff on the need to manage records more effic= iently.

<= ![if !supportLists]>3&nb= sp; Put in place Library Education for the workers.

<= ![if !supportLists]>4&nb= sp; Provide mor= e PC’s so as to create more terminals and access points to the library collection.=

<= ![if !supportLists]>5&nb= sp; Send reports (records) to the library as soon as they are written and concluded upon.

<= ![if !supportLists]>6&nb= sp; Ensure that forwarded reports are not distorted either from the content or context and = format.

<= ![if !supportLists]>7&nb= sp; Confirm rep= orts and ensure that they are accurate before they are written and sent to the library.

REFERENCES

Eta, Patrick. (1996). The administrator̵= 7;s perception of archives and their role in government. Archival Review (JANUS= ) ICA PAN-African Conference. 1996. 1. P. 10. <= o:p>

Federal= Rep= ublic of Nigeria (1992) National Archi= ve Decree. July 8.

Iwhiwhu, Enemute Bas= il (1998). Management of non-curre= nt records, in the National Electric Power Authority, Headquarters-Lagos. (Mas= ter Dissertation), Ibadan: University of Ibadan. P. 16.

Iwhiwhu, Enemute Bas= il (2004) Institutional Archives: = an essential aspect of university growth and development. Frontiers of Informa= tion and Library Science (FILS). Vol 1. No. 2. =

Iwhiwhu, Enemute Bas= il (2005). Managing records in Nig= erian Universities: problems and prospects. The Electronic Library. Vol. 23. no. = 3.

= Saxby Stephen (1990) The age of information: the= past development and future significance of computing and communication. London: Macmillan= . P. 2.

SPDC website. http://www.shell.com

Telfer Margaret (1998) Librarians, technology and economics of information. FELICITER 44 (3). P. 1 - 5. available at http://www.m= gmt.dal.ca/slis/etig/ifcomn/ITL/libr.html

Mr. IWHIWHU, Enemute Basil = is an Assistant Lecturer w= ith the Department of Library and Information Science in Delta State University, Abraka Nigeria. He obtained a B. Sc. (Ed) Honours Degree in Chemistry from the defunct Bendel State University, Ekpoma, 1991 and Mater Degree in Archives and Records management (MAS) from the University of Ibadan, 1998. He worked as a Librarian for ten years before moving to the Department of Libr= ary and Information Science in the same University.

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