Model for Business Archives –

Present Scenario and Challenges

Ashok Kapoor

Planning and Prioritizing

Organizing business archives from scratch is very difficult and challenging

Piecemeal approach

Acquisition of records

Determine type of facilities require

Availability of resources

Framing of policies – Acquisition of records, Archival and Records Management policy and Preservation policy

Planning and Prioritizing (cont.)

Survey of records – transfer to Archives Facilities and services for Archives and

Researchers

Alteast 5 or 10 years development plan Assessment of budget and staff and

infrastructure requirements

Formulation of Policies

Acquisition Policy

• Reluctance of departments to transfer records

Short Film or PPT

On the Spot Appraisal of Records

Archival and Records Management Policy (ARMP)

• ARMP is regarded as the Bible of Archives

Minimum Records

• Business houses keep minimum records relating to the laws of limitation and regulatory compliance purposes

Formulation of Policies:

Establishment Policy Objectives

• Objective of setting up Business Archives, activities, and functions it would perform

• Authority of Business Archives

• Range of service offered

• Type of records it would require

Final Authority

• In the field of Records Management, Business Archives would be the final authority

Streamline Records Management Process

• Establishment policy empowers the Archives to streamline the Records Management processes

Record Access Policy

Access to records are available or not

Terms and conditions required to be fulfilled

Whether photocopies or scanned images are available

What type of records are available for research

Do’s and dont’s in the Research room

Requisition and restoration processes

Clarification on copyright issues

Preservation Policy

Objective: Obviate potential damage to records

Preventive Conservation

Curative Conservation

Restoration of Documents

Preservation of Records: Responsibility of Entire Staff

Periodical Surveys: To Prevent Damage and Deterioration

Archives should have integrated Pest Control Programme

Access and Reference Policy

Access Policy: Differ from country to country

Access normally includes three types of records – Open, Restricted, and Closed

Reference Services denotes the facility provided to the Research Scholars to facilitate their research

Brochure containing introductory information about Archives proves useful

Archivists working in the Research Room should have adequate knowledge of the Research Room

Archives Building and Storage Area

Archival repository can be a building, a floor, a room, or cupboard

Material in Archives can be of diverse nature and requires different sorts

of environment

Archives should have working environment that are safe, secure, healthy,

comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and accessible

Archives area should be conveniently divided into units

Shelving should be functional, easy to clean, and secure for records

Temperature 21-23 degree Celsius relative humidity level be 45% to 55%

Smoke detection and fire suppression system should be installed

Advocacy and Outreach Take Initiatives

• For image building, the Business Archives should take initiative in organising works in workshops, lectures, in-house programmes, press releases, exhibitions

Sensitize Internal Staff

• Before targeting external people, it would be necessary to sensitize the internal staff

Involve People

• Involve scholars, donor of papers, administrators, and volunteers in organizing events

Close Liaison with Media

• Need for maintaining close liaison with media

FAQs

• FAQs can be put on website

Attitude of Staff

• Attitude of staff should be positive and helpful

Selling Souvenirs

Staff Training

Short duration programme for staff covering all cadres

Such training programmes create archival awareness and sense of involvement

Training should be arranged for Archives staff to update their knowledge and skills

Business Archives: Indian Scenario

Business Archives in India is in its nascent stage

Many companies (even 100 years old) are without Archives

India has a strong tradition of establishing Public Archives but not Business Archives

Even new companies established after India’s independence showed no interest in establishing Archives

Indian Scenario: Delhi Cloth Mill

The first Business Archives was established in India in 1983

The objective was to write biography of its Founder Sir Shri Ram

In controlled economy of those days, DCM was to Delhi what Tata Sons was to Mumbai

After biography was written, the DCM Archives fell in oblivion and records so meticulously collected remained neglected and languished

So, the first Business Archives succeeded in its objective but failed in preservation of heritage of the company for future generations

Tata Steel & Tata Central Archives

The house of Tata is 137 years old Industrial conglomerate.

150th Birthday of Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata ((Founder of group)

prompted the need the establishing Archives

JRD Tata had huge collection of personal records.

For History project, taken up in 1978, Important records were collected

The holding of Archives are huge and diverse

Archives have fully functional building with latest equipment

RD Tata’s letter to JRD Tata dated 31st October 1922

Godrej Archives

Located in Mumbai, Godrej is one of the well-equipped Archives in India

The idea of establishing was taken in 1995, two years prior to the centenary

celebrations

Sohrab Godrej, the then Chairman of the Godrej Group, envisioned Archives to

be a heritage centre.

The holdings of the Archives are varied and divided into 6 sections – manuscript

collection, photographs, audio-visual, oral history, memorabilia, and printed material

Godrej Archives has undertaken in-house digitisation of records

Records are kept in ambient storage condition; acid free boxes are used to

store records

Records are open for access purposes

Jawaharlal Nehru, First Prime Minister of India using Godrej typewriter in 1955

RBI Archives, Pune The first Business Archives to be established in India in 1981

For over 34 years, the Archives has been engaged in identifying, acquiring, preserving records, and making them accessible to Research Scholars

Ambient storage conditions exist in the Archives

Has microfilming unit, preservation facilities including vacuum fumigation chamber, and offsite backup centre for microfilms

Training programmes are conducted for staff at all levels

Archives and Records Management Policy issued in 2012

Oral History Project

Permanent Exhibition on ‘Evolution of RBI – 1935-2010

Reserve Bank of India Share Certificate

State Bank of India, Kolkata The influx of the European merchants into the Indian subcontinent resulted in altering the prevalent banking system

Europeans established managing agency houses which combined banking system with their commercial and trading activities

The earliest progenitor of SBI was erstwhile Bank of Calcutta established in 1806 with objective to stabilise interest rates and mobilise credit

SBI was established in 1955

State Bank of India, Kolkata (cont.)

SBI formed the History department in 1975 to unearth, identify, locate and collect records of historical interest

The records collected pertained to the minutes and proceedings of the meetings of the Board of Directors of Presidency banks and their successor bodies

SBI Archives and museum were inaugurated in 2007 in a heritage building

The holdings of the Archives consist of records from 1806 to 1955

The Bank of Bengal building. It was constructed in 1825 on the banks of River Hooghly.

More Than a Century Old

Companies Without Archives • Established in 1838

• Involved in newspaper publication business

• Exposure to Archives is limited to microfilming of newspaper

Bennet and Coleman

• Engaged in timber, tea, and textile business

• Was established in 1879 by Nowrosjee Wadia

• Initial business of the company was ship building

Bombay Dyeing

• Established in 1892 in Calcutta with an investment of Rs.295

• During the World War II, it shipped biscuits for the British soldiers

Britannia Biscuit Company

• Established in 1897 by Nowrosjee Wadia and engaged in textile business

Century Spinning and Manufacturing Company

• Registered in London in 1897 to supply power to Calcutta

Calcutta Electricity Supply Company

Advertisement of CESC

More Than a Century Old

Companies Without Archives

(cont.)

• Established in 1884 by Dr. S.K Burman in Calcutta t make ayurvedic medicines

Dabur India

• Oldest business entity of Indian subcontinent

• Established by Welshman Thomas Parry in 1788 in Madras

• 4 billion dollar company engaged in multi industrial and commercial activities

EID Parry

• Established in 1910 in Calcutta

• Engaged in business of cigarettes, hotels, consumer products, packaging, and apparels

Imperial Tobacco Company (ITC)

• Has a 227 years history which very few can match

• Established in 1788 as Breen & Company

• Claims to be the oldest engineering company in the East of Suez Canal

Jessop & Company

More Than a Century Old

Companies Without Archives

(cont.) • Established in 1888 in Belgaum, Karnataka

• Engaged in agricultural tools, pumps, and machine tools

Kirloskar Brothers

• First banks established with Indian capitals

Punjab National Bank (PNB) (1895)

and

Bank of Baroda (BOB) (1906)

• Established by two British nationals, A.W. Turner and A. N. Wright in 1902 in Calcutta

• First company to manufacture paints in South East Asia market

Shalimar Paints

• Established in Madurai, Tamil Nadu in 1911

• Engaged in automobile parts TVS & Sons

Managing Agency Houses

Names like Assam Tea Company, Andrew Yule, William Magar, Harrison Malayalam, Bengal Chemicals and His Master’s Voice (HMV) were very popular

Andrew Yule established in 1863 managed 37 companies

Assam Tea Company is the world's oldest tea company

With passage of time, may agency houses were taken by the Marwaris (Indian business community)

Calcutta gradually faded as political and commercial capital of India

Reasons for Non-Setup of Business

Archives Business houses were not aware of benefits that can accrue with establishment of Archives

Traditional habit of looking at all new initiatives from profit-and-loss motive

Lack of space and infrastructure

Preserve records only for audit and regulatory compliance

Fear of espionage from competitors

Cover up their malpractices; things shrouded in secrecy

Challenges Ahead

Electronic and paper records have to be dealt by the Archivists (who need to upgrade their skills)

Need for setting priorities to deal with core and allied activities

Need to create archival consciousness

Systematic approach towards developing Archives

Mythological Conclusion

Janus

Lord Brahma

The Ancient Romans worshipped a deity called

Janus, who had opposing heads: one looked at the

past and the other looked at the future.

Present day Archivists need to be like Janus for

looking at the past for records which would be used

not only for writing history but support business

houses by providing requisite information as and

when required and save heritage of the company for

future generations.

Similarly, Brahma, the Lord of creation in the Hindu

mythology, is depicted with four heads. For the

present day Archivist, the four heads should work

for archives administration, records management,

preservation of records and assimilation of new

technologies in archives.

Thank You!

Open House?!