Center for
National Documents and Records/National Archives, Monrovia, Liberia
A purpose-built Center
for National Documents and Records/National Archives building was
constructed during the 1980s in the Monrovia suburb of Sinkor. Looted and
partially destroyed early in the 1990s civil war, Archives’ employees and
other Liberians cognizant of the historical value of the materials collected
and returned some documents to the Old Executive Mansion in downtown
Monrovia, the former site of the National Archives.The National
Archives staff is making a valiant effort to preserve the salvaged materials,
but it is a struggle. The ceiling leaks and the roof overhangs are not built
out farenough to prevent rain from
blowing in through the windows and air-circulation vent holes. The archival
organization of the documents picked-up after the looting in the 1990s has
never been completely restored and serious preservation challenges remain.
Again the main impression is that the small National Archives staff is
overwhelmed by the mass of materials and the lack of proper staffing,
preservation materials training, and funding.The first two critical tasks would be preservation and then reconstituting
and executing an organization plan.
