77
Younis Musallam Al Jassasi1 
Said Sultan Bani Oraba2
EXPERIENCE OF NATIONAL RECORDS AND ARCHIVES 
AUTHORITY IN ENABLE THEIR ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS
Abstract
National archives are a vital reference for their large archival collections in various 
areas of knowledge, they should therefore also play an active role in making their 
collections available to users and researchers. This study aims to identify the experi-
ence of the National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA) of the Sultanate of Oman 
in making the archival collections available to the general public. This study will ex-
plore the perspective of the beneficiaries, of researchers and students in the service of 
access to such funds and identify the difficulties and challenges that users are facing. 
And the possibility of facilitating the relationship between NRAA as a source of infor-
mation and the beneficiaries.
The study relies on the analytical descriptive approach to identifying the perspectives of 
the users about the service, as well as the challenges they face in accessing the archival 
collections. It will help to achieve the objectives of the study by using the questionnaire 
tool to collect the data.
Keywords: Archival Collections, National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA), Sultan-
ate of Oman.
ESPERIENZA DELLA NATIONAL RECORDS AND 
ARCHIVES AUTHORITY NELL‘ABILITARE LE LORO 
RACCOLTE ARCHIVISTICHE
Sintesi
Gli archivi nazionali sono un riferimento vitale per le loro grandi raccolte archivistiche in 
varie aree della conoscenza e anche gli archivi nazionali dovrebbero svolgere un ruolo 
attivo nel rendere le loro raccolte disponibili a utenti e ricercatori. Questo studio mira a 
identificare l’esperienza della National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA) del Sul-
tanato dell’Oman nel rendere disponibili le collezioni archivistiche. Lo studio esplorerà 
la prospettiva dei beneficiari di ricercatori e studenti al servizio dell’accesso a tali fondi 
e identificherà le difficoltà e le sfide che gli utenti devono affrontare. E la possibilità di 
facilitare il rapporto tra NRAA come Fonte di Informazione e i beneficiari. Lo studio si 
basa sull’approccio analitico descrittivo per identificare le prospettive degli utenti sul 
Servizio, nonché le sfide che devono affrontare nell’accesso alle Raccolte archivistiche 
e aiuterà a raggiungere gli obiettivi dello studio utilizzando lo strumento Questionario 
per raccogliere i dati. 
Parole chiave: collezioni archivistiche, National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA), 
Sultanato dell’Oman.
1 Younis Musallam Al Jassasi, Records & Archives Specialist, Sultanate of Oman
2 Said Sultan Bani Oraba, Records & Archives Specialist, Sultanate of Oman
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IZKUŠNJE OBLASTI NA PODROČJU DRŽAVNIH ARHIVOV 
IN DOKUMENTOV NA PODROČJU ARHIVSKIH ZBIRK
Povzetek
Državni arhivi so ključna referenca zaradi svojih velikih arhivskih zbirk na različnih 
področjih znanja. Državni arhivi bi morali zaradi tega igrati tudi aktivno vlogo pri za-
gotavljanju dostopnosti uporabnikom in raziskovalcem do svojih zbirk. Namen te štu-
dije je analizirati izkušnje Nacionalne uprave za evidence in arhive (National Records 
and Archives Authority - NRAA) Sultanata Oman pri zagotavljanju dostopnosti do ar-
hivskih zbirk. Študija bo raziskala perspektivo upravičencev, raziskovalcev in študen-
tov do dostopa do tovrstnih sredstev ter opredelila težave in izzive, s katerimi se so-
očajo uporabniki. Predstavila bo predloge kako izboljšati odnos med NRAA kot virom 
informacij in upravičenci.
Študija se navezuje na analitični deskriptivni pristop pri ugotavljanju pričakovanj 
uporabnikov o storitvi, pa tudi na izzive, s katerimi se soočajo pri dostopu do arhivskih 
zbirk. Za doseganje ciljev študije bomo uporabili vprašalnik za zbiranje podatkov.
Ključne besede: Arhivske zbirke, National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA), Sul-
tanat Oman.
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INTRODUCTION
Currently we are living in societies witness a rapid growth in information volume in all 
sectors, as it is considered as a standard for nations development and revolution in dif-
ferent fields. For this, organizing this information is mandatory to be useful when need-
ed and to make it valuable in making decisions.
For sure, there is many different sources of information, including what it is created 
physically or electronically. Records and archives are one of the vital sources of informa-
tion which assist the community in different fields as it is consider one of the scientific 
research sources.
Many countries, taking high standard of caring for their archival collections to ensure their 
preservation safely. Hence, National Records and Archives authority has been keen to take 
care of Omani Archives with aim to build a national memory which contribute in cultural, 
scientific, and historical fields by collecting the local archives which represented in the 
private records and the Omani Archives which located in the other countries archive.
After collecting a huge amount of Omani Archival collection, NRAA promoted their avail-
ability of these collections for users through conferences, symposia, cultural activities, 
local and international exhibitions, and social media channels. All this to encourages 
scientific research, intellectual and artistic creativity, attractive the researchers to ben-
efit from Oman cultural heritage.
NATIONAL RECORDS AND ARCHIVES AUTHORITY
NRAA is the competent authority to manage and maintain records and archives in the 
Sultanate of Oman, established by Royal Decree No. 60/2007 on July 2, 2007, and fol-
lows the Council of Ministers and it has its own legal personality and administrative and 
financial independence.
Al Fakhfakh (2009) indicated that several functions have been assigned to the Authority, 
such as collection Oman archives from abroad, ensuring their preservation and main-
tenance, and working on the preparation and dissemination of search tools in archives 
such as indexes, manuals and databases; To facilitate their availability for beneficiaries, 
and to undertake local and international activities to highlight the cultural, scientific 
and educational value of archives through exhibitions, symposia and conferences.
NRAA Consist of many different departments such as general department of research 
and archives access. This unit divided to three departments as following:
USERS SERVICES DEPT.
This department aim to assist users and make their visit to NRAA comfortable. As it takes 
care of user’s registration, guide them to meet their goal of visit and provide the re-
quired archival collections.
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION DEPT.
This department help users by providing the necessary search tools which support their 
needs such as indexes, catalogues, and database. Also, it takes care of answering about 
users’ inquiries from inside or outside Oman and support other departments in NRAA to 
organizing the exhibitions and conferences.
LIBRARY
The previous two department was supported by specialized library to fulfil users’ needs 
of information sources as dictionaries and journals which is helpful in making studies 
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and research. The library includes around 9507 titles of books and journals. More than 
100,000 e-book and 206 manuscripts according to NRAA Statistics in 2019.
STUDY STATEMENT
Access to information is a legitimate right for all, and one of the most prominent fea-
tures of this right is the establishment of the principle of transparency and accountabil-
ity in the provision of such information. Access to information in archives is determined 
by legislation and regulations that are applied in such a way as to ensure equitable ac-
cess to the archive for all beneficiaries. The issue of access to information is also one of 
the most prominent issues that have emerged recently at the local and global levels, 
and from this point of view policies and procedures for the availability of archival infor-
mation has been appeared, and many studies conducted by the national archives in the 
field of information availability (Abdul Maqsoud, 2020).
Abdul Maqsoud (2020) also mentioned that Arab national archives lack such studies to 
make information available in national archives. Al Fakhfakh (2017) confirmed that it 
would be useful for the national’s archives to conduct studies on beneficiaries to identi-
fy their information needs and requests to meet their needs.
therefore, this study intended to identify the experience of the National Records and 
Archives Authority in making available the Archival collections and to measure the sat-
isfaction of the users.
STUDY OBJECTIVES
1. identify the experience of the National Records and Archives Authority in making 
available the Archival Collections. 
2. Measuring users’ satisfaction of records and archives accessing service. 
3. Identify the difficulties faced by beneficiaries in accessing Archival collections.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. What is the role of the National Records and Archives Authority in making the Archival 
Collections available? 
2. How satisfied are the beneficiaries of the Records and Archives Accessing Service? 
3. What are the difficulties that users faced in accessing the archives?
IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
The theoretical significance of this study stems from the fact that it highlights the ex-
perience of the National Records and Archives Authority in making Archival collections 
available, as well as the subject of the study is one of the recent subjects applied in NRAA 
- as the researchers knowledge - and it is hoped that this study will contribute to enrich-
ing the intellectual research in the Records and Archives management field.
It is also hoped that the results of this study will benefit NRAA to identifying the ben-
eficiaries’ view of the Archives accessing service, as well as the possibility that NRAA 
will benefit from the results of the study in developing their services which related to 
Archives access.
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STUDY METHODOLOGY
The study was based on the analytical descriptive approach to identify the experience of 
NRAA in making Archival Collections Available, which is the most appropriate approach 
for the study nature and its objectives.
DATA COLLECTING
The study was dependent on the content analysis tool by analyzing annual reports is-
sued by NRAA from 2015 to 2020 and working to elicit statistics on the Department of 
access in terms of the number of beneficiaries, their scientific qualifications, and re-
quests for copies.
The study also relied on the questionnaire as data collection tool, depending on Inter-
national Council of Archive principles in making Records Available. which consist of:
1. Demographic data. 
2. Evaluation of the document access Service.
3. The evaluation of the service providers of the Archives access.
Also, Likert scale has been used to measure the responses of the study society as shown 
in Table 1 below:
Table1: Likert Scale
Strongly  
AgreeAgreeNeutralDisagree
Strongly 
DisagreeClassification
54321Degree
STUDY RESULTS ANALYSIS
First: Content analysis: 
This section reviews the results of analyzing the annual reports and statistics issued by 
NRAA related to the users of the Archives access Service, their qualifications, volume of 
Archives copies requests and topics of interest.
NO. OF USERS OF ARCHIVES ACCESS SERVICE FROM 2015-2020 
Table 2: Numbers of beneficiaries of Archives Access from 2015–2020 
Sr. Year
No. of Users
Total
Omani Non-Omani
1 2015 59 5 64
2 2016 184 24 208
3 2017 217 25 242
4 2018 378 45 423
5 2019 225 28 253
6 2020 135 18 153
The above table indicates the number of beneficiaries of the access service to Archival 
collection at NRAA in the period from 2015–2020. The total number of beneficiaries of 
the access service during this period reached 1343 user including 1198 Omani, and 145 
non-Omani.
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Also, it shown that in 2018 NRAA recorded the highest percentage of beneficiaries, 
reaching 423 users, including 378 Omani, which constitutes 89% of the total, and 45 
non-Omani, which represents 11%. The increase in the percentage of beneficiaries in 
this year is due to the NRAA efforts for promoting its services for public in 2017, which 
represented in the following:
1. Coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education and the Academic Institutions to 
direct researchers to use Archives Access Service.
2. Coordination with Media institutions to promote NRAA Services and employ social 
media channels for the same purpose.
3. NRAA seeks to expand the segment of beneficiaries by attracting and encouraging 
non-Omani beneficiaries of these services, by translating the guidelines and search 
website for records and archives in many languages such as English, French, German, 
Romanian, Hungarian, Slovenian, and others.
In 2015, the Authority recorded the lowest number of beneficiaries, reaching 64, includ-
ing 5 non-Omani. The decrease in the percentage of users this year is due to the inaugu-
ration of the access area in the middle of 2015, in addition to activating the search for 
Archival Collections by special search engine in the same year.
In 2020, NRAA recorded a significant decline in the number of beneficiaries compared 
to previous years. A total of 153 beneficiaries. This decrease is due to the precaution-
ary measures taken by the Sultanate generally and NRAA in particularly to limiting the 
spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. 
QUALIFICATIONS OF BENEFICIARIES OF ARCHIVES ACCESS SERVICE
Table 3: No. of users according to the scientific qualifications
Scientific Qualification
Sr. Year PHD Master Bachelor Diploma Other Total
1 2015 7 22 17 18 0 64
2 2016 27 42 58 50 31 208
3 2017 18 30 63 131 0 242
4 2018 - - - - - -
5 2019 - - - - - -
6 2020 - - - - - -
The above table notes the classification of beneficiaries during the period 2015–2017 
according to their scientific qualifications. on the other hand, Researchers were unable 
to obtain the numbers of beneficiaries by scientific qualifications from 2018-2020 be-
cause of the lack of a clear methodology for the preparation of the statistics contained 
in NRAA Annual reports.
Also, we note an increase in the number of diploma and bachelor’s students, reaching 
337 beneficiaries, since some academic institutions have introduced the specialization 
of document and archives management, which prompted them to direct students to 
take advantage of this service. On the other hand, the number of researchers from the 
category of master’s and doctoral degrees has reached 146 beneficiaries who benefit 
of this service to complete their theses and as part of their scientific research interests.
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NO. OF COPIES REQUESTS OF ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS FROM 2015–2020
Table 4: Number of copies requested from 2015-2020
Sr. Year No. of Request for Copies No. of Copied Files No. of Copied Documents
1 2015 64 - -
2 2016 407 - -
3 2017 242 - 1033
4 2018 524 1260 4063
5 2019 252 619 1970
6 2020 144 377 1710
The number of applications for copies by beneficiaries for the period 2015–2020 as not-
ed from the above table. The total number of copies applications in this period was 1633 
request. In 2018, NRAA recorded the highest number of copies requests amounting to 
524 because of increasing in the number of users in this year of Archive access service, as 
indicated in Table 1. also, because of covid-19 pandemic researchers noticed decrease in 
copies request and recorded 144 applications in 2020.
SECOND: VIEW THE RESULTS OF THE RESOLUTION ANALYSIS:
This part reviews the results of the questionnaire, which included (119) respondents, 
and 24 respondents (20.2%) were excluded for not conforming to the requirements of 
the study. Thus, the total sample of the study and those who conform to its requirements 
become 95 respondents. The questionnaire data was entered and analyzed using Excel.
FIRST: DEMOGRAPHIC DATA:
GENDER:
Table 5: Frequencies and percentages according to the type of variable
Gender Frequency Percentage (%)
Male 60 63.2%
Female 35 36.8%
Total 95 100%
Table 5. shows the number of male and female respondents who participated in filling 
out the study questionnaire. It is clear that the number of male participants in the ques-
tionnaire reached (60) participants, at a rate of (63.2%), while the number of female 
participants reached (35) with a percentage of (36.8%).
TYPE OF USERS:
Table 6: Frequencies and percentages according to the type of beneficiary
Beneficiary type Frequency Percentage (%)
Student 31 32.6%
Employee 37 38.9%
Researcher 27 28.5%
Total 95 100%
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Table 6 shows a description of the study sample according to the nature of the benefi-
ciary of the access service provided by the NRAA. It is worth noting that the study relied 
on a random sample in distributing questionnaires and collecting data.
Employees occupied the largest percentage in benefiting from this service, reaching 
(37) beneficiaries, or (38.9%). The high percentage of this category is attributed to the 
multiplicity of purposes for which the employee needs to view records as part of work 
requirements, completion of graduate studies, or as part of their interest’s research. The 
category of students ranked second, as they reached (31) beneficiaries, or (32.6%), and 
this is due to the students’ reluctance to come to the authority for the purpose of ending 
costs and study projects. The percentage of researchers (27) beneficiaries represented 
(28.5%).
DO YOU HAVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE 
ACCESSIBILITY TO RECORDS AND ARCHIVES?
Table 7: Frequencies and percentages of those knowing with the legislation and con-
trols that regulate the access to records funds
Frequency Percentage (%)
Yes 70 73.7%
No 25 26.3%
Total 95 100%
The results of the questionnaire, as shown in Table 7, indicate that (70) participants from 
the study sample, and a percentage of (73.7%) are familiar with the legislation and reg-
ulations set by the NRAA to regulate the process of accessing records, which is a very 
good percentage and indicates the existence of initiatives to introduce the controls of 
access by the NRAA through the use of media and social communication.
Second: Measuring the satisfaction of the beneficiaries of the service of accessing re-
cords and archives:
“THE BENEFICIARY CAN VIEW THE ARCHIVES DURING OFFICIAL WORKING HOURS FROM 
8:30 AM TO 1:30 PM”. THE TIME ALLOTTED FOR VIEWING RECORDS BY THE NRAA IS CONSI-
DERED APPROPRIATE.
Table 8: Frequencies and percentages of the time allotted for viewing records
Frequency Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree 12 12.6%
Agree 26 27.4%
Neutral 24 25.3%
Disagree 25 26.3%
Strongly Disagree 8 8.4%
Total 95 100%
Table 8 indicates the satisfaction of both researchers and employees about the time 
allotted for viewing records. While a degree of dissatisfaction was recorded among 
the students, this is because students are often attached at this time to their academic 
lectures, and they do not find the appropriate time to reach the NRAA in the morning 
period. The presence of a degree of satisfaction among employees and researchers in-
dicates flexibility in their work environment.
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“THE BENEFICIARY MAY REQUEST FOUR FILES IN ONE DAY, AND NO MORE THAN ONE FILE OR 
DOCUMENTARY UNIT MAY BE AVAILABLE AT THE SAME TIME, AND THE BENEFICIARY MUST 
RETURN THE ARCHIVES THAT WERE MADE AVAILABLE TO HIM BEFORE OBTAINING OTHER 
DOCUMENTS.” THIS ACTION FULFILLS MY PURPOSE OF ACCESSIBILITY.
Table 9: Frequencies and percentages of the number of files that are available to be re-
trieved daily
Frequency Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree 8 8.4%
Agree 23 24.2%
Neutral 28 29.5%
Disagree 26 27.4%
Strongly Disagree 10 10.5%
Total 95 100%
It is clear from Table 9 the beneficiaries’ point of view of the NRAA’s action regarding 
the provision of 4 files per day. The results indicate that there is satisfaction with this 
procedure among the staff and students, and the researchers differ with the previous 
two groups in this compatibility, and this difference is explained by the fact that the re-
searchers’ needs to view the documents may be deeper and more detailed. The distance 
of some researchers is also one of the reasons for dissatisfaction.
I FIND IT EASY TO USE SEARCH TOOLS THAT ALLOW ME TO ACCESS RECORDS AND ARCHIVES.
Table 10: Frequencies and percentages of the search tools item used to access the archives
Frequency Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree 32 33.6%
Agree 45 47.4%
Neutral 13 13.7%
Disagree 2 2.1%
Strongly Disagree 3 3.2%
Total 95 100%
Table 10 shows that all groups benefiting from the service of accessing records and ar-
chives are satisfied with the search tools available for use because of their ease and 
efficiency in meeting the needs of the beneficiaries. This satisfaction also reflects the 
efforts made by the NRAA in developing and facilitating the access process.
FEES FOR REPRODUCTION OF RECORDS AND ARCHIVES ARE APPROPRIATE.
Table 11: Frequencies and percentages of records reproduction fees
Frequency Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree 10 10.5%
Agree 22 23.2%
Neutral 18 18.9%
Disagree 25 26.3%
Strongly Disagree 20 21.1%
Total 95 100%
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Table 11 shows the lack of satisfaction of the study community regarding the fees set by 
the NRAA for records reproduction, as (47.4%) of the study population agreed that the 
fees are not appropriate. It is worth noting that the NRAA has set the reproduction fees 
as follows:
Table 12: Fees set by the NRAA for records reproduction
Type of Copy Normal (White & Black) Colored
Manuscripts 
0.2 OMR for each hard paper 0.4 OMR for each hard paper
0.3 OMR for each Soft Paper 0.4 OMR for each soft paper
Books 0.1 OMR for each paper 0.2 OMR for each Paper
The researchers explain the dissatisfaction with the fact that most of the beneficiaries 
are students who are studying at the diploma and bachelor’s levels. In addition, some 
researchers require large numbers of records to be reproduced, which costs a lot of 
money. The researchers also suggest setting up a mechanism to consider these catego-
ries of beneficiaries.
SERVICE PROVIDERS GIVE ALL BENEFICIARIES SPECIAL ATTENTION
Table13:Frequencies and percentages of service providers’ interest in the beneficiary
Frequency Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree 36 37.9%
Agree 45 47.4%
Neutral 10 10.5%
Disagree 4 4.2%
Strongly Disagree 0 0%
Total 95 100%
SERVICE PROVIDERS HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY TO RESPOND TO BENEFICIARIES’ 
INQUIRIES
Table 14: Frequencies and Percentages of Service Providers’ Ability to Respond to Inquiries
Frequency Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree 33 34.7%
Agree 52 54.7%
Neutral 9 9.5%
Disagree 0 0%
Strongly Disagree 1 1.1%
Total 95 100%
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SERVICE PROVIDERS HAVE THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF THE BENEFICIARIES
Table 15: Frequencies and Percentages of Service Providers’ Ability to Understand the 
Beneficiary’s Need
Frequency Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree 29 30.5%
Agree 46 48.4%
Neutral 17 17.9%
Disagree 1 1.1%
Strongly Disagree 2 2.1%
Total 95 100%
Tables 13, 14 and 15 show the satisfaction of the beneficiaries of the accessibility ser-
vice providers. (85.3%) of the study population agreed that service providers give them 
special attention, which helps to understand their research needs and save time and 
effort for the beneficiary to obtain the required information quickly, as confirmed by the 
results of the questionnaire related to measuring the ability of service providers to un-
derstand the needs of beneficiaries. Which showed a concordance of (78.9%) The results 
of the questionnaire, which amounted to (89.4%), indicated that service providers had a 
knowledge that would enable them to facilitate the task of the beneficiaries and direct 
them, each according to his needs and purpose of accessibility.
THIRD: THE DIFFICULTIES THAT USERS FACE IN ACCESSING ARCHIVES:
The results of analyzing the questionnaire data indicated that there are several diffi-
culties and challenges that prevent optimal benefit from this service, according to the 
beneficiary’s point of view. We list them as follows according to their frequency:
1. The accessing time that has been determined by the NRAA is insufficient and is not 
commensurate with their practical and academic engagements.
2. Inappropriate reproduction fees.
3. Reservation about the availability of some records that meet the beneficiary’s need.
4. Records and manuscripts are not available remotely on the NRAA’s website.
DISCUSSING THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY:
First: Discussing the results of the first question: What is the role of the National Records 
and Archives Authority in accessibility records funds?
The results of the study revealed that the NRAA played a prominent role in accessibility 
the records, and this is evident through the statistics issued by the NRAA, which indicate 
an increasing growth in the number of beneficiaries annually.
The study also monitored a demand from beneficiaries to obtain copies of records, as the 
total requests for record reproductions since 2015–2020 amounted to about 1,633 requests.
The results of the study indicated that there was a decrease in the number of beneficiar-
ies and requests for cloning in 2020, and this decrease was attributed to the effects of 
the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to a series of precautionary measures that contribut-
ed to reducing the rate of utilization of access services.
Second: Discussing the results of the second question: How satisfied are the beneficiar-
ies of the service of accessing records and archives?
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The results of the study indicated the multiplicity of purposes for benefiting from access 
to records, such as using them in diplomatic studies, and tracking historical events in 
various religious, military, political, and geographical aspects.
The study monitored the presence of a degree of dissatisfaction among the students in 
the aspect of the time allocated for perusal by the NRAA, this is justified by the academic 
association of students in universities and colleges.
Regarding the number of files available daily to beneficiaries, the study showed that 
there is a percentage of dissatisfaction among researchers, due to the nature of their 
need for records in preparing studies and tracking historical events in various sectors.
It is worth noting that the study community showed a consensus in the efficiency of the 
research tools provided by the NRAA to search in the available archives, so that it would 
be easy for them to access the records they need quickly. This satisfaction also indicates 
that the search tools have features and characteristics that help users in the search, such 
as advanced search and multilingual search languages, and providing an integrated de-
scription for each of the search results.
As for the fees set by the NRAA, the results of the study showed that there was dissatis-
faction among the students because of their financial situation, and the lack of a source 
of income that would help them bear the expenses of copying records.
The study also reached a conclusion agreed upon by all groups that the information ser-
vice providers enjoy an outcome of knowledge that helps them to understand the needs 
of the beneficiary and provide the various forms of support necessary to save time and 
effort and achieve his goal of access.
Third: Discussing the results of the third question: What are the difficulties that benefi-
ciaries face in accessing archives?
The results of the study revealed that there are some difficulties that hinder the bene-
ficiaries to accessing the records. The study concluded that the time available to access 
the NRAA’s records is the biggest obstacle for the beneficiaries, and the reproduction 
fees come in second place, followed by the NRAA’s reservation about accessibility 
some records needed by the beneficiaries This finding is consistent with Al Hinai (2018) 
study, which indicated that some private records owners do not agree to access their 
records public.
The distance between the NRAA and some beneficiaries, the difficulty of frequenting 
the NRAA on a continuous basis, as well as the lack of the NRAA accessing records avail-
able through the search engine or the official website represented the most prominent 
difficulties faced by the study community.
STUDY SUGGESTIONS:
The results of this study came out with a set of recommendations for the purpose of im-
proving the accessibility service in the National Records and Archives Authority, as follows:
1. Extending the accessibility period during official working days to the evening time 
and allowing viewing on official holidays.
2. Reconsidering the fees for records reproduction, considering the various groups of 
society; To achieve the greatest benefit from the records provided by the NRAA and to 
attract beneficiaries.
3. Considering the trend towards using electronic environments to provide records and 
archives, we suggest establishing an electronic platform that enables beneficiaries 
to accessibility and obtain copies of records remotely.
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4. Re-evaluating the retained records to achieve optimal utilization of the archives 
funds and to encourage scientific research and intellectual and artistic creativity.
5. Increasing community awareness of the use of archives through various media and 
field visits.
CONCLUSION:
The process of making archival materials available is one of the basic works carried out 
by the national archives, and the service of accessing archives represents a vital window 
that reflects the interaction of the community of beneficiaries with the archival materi-
als provided by the NRAA to the public. There are many aspects that must be considered 
when providing this type of services, such as the readiness of the infrastructure in terms 
of the availability of research tools and places of access, and the preparation of workers 
in the field of making archival materials available to be able to perceive the need of the 
beneficiaries and provide the necessary support to achieve the greatest possible ben-
efit from the visit of the beneficiary. However, with the rapid development in various 
technical and technological aspects, the NRAA must keep pace with this development 
in terms of seeking to develop the access service and adapt it with the technological 
developments taking place, which enriches the beneficiary from going to the NRAA 
every time he needs to accessibility the archives. With the global trend towards provid-
ing open-source information, and efforts towards achieving knowledge sharing in all 
fields, the NRAA should keep pace with this trend to encourage beneficiaries to exploit 
the resources provided by the NRAA, which will positively reflect on reviving scientific 
research that mainly depends on archives, and raising awareness in the community, his-
torical aspects in various sectors. However, with the availability of software that helps 
track the activities of using records and archives, its electronic availability is not without 
some technical drawbacks and risks, such as theft, tampering, and distortion.
EXPERIENCE OF NATIONAL RECORDS AND ARCHIVES AUTHORITY IN ENABLE THEIR ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS 
YOUNIS MUSALLAM AL JASSASI, SAID SULTAN BANI ORABA
90
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Typology: 1.02 Review article
EXPERIENCE OF NATIONAL RECORDS AND ARCHIVES AUTHORITY IN ENABLE THEIR ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS  
YOUNIS MUSALLAM AL JASSASI, SAID SULTAN BANI ORABA