Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases

Changle Tang; Xiaojuan Zhang

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13

| Peer-Reviewed

Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases

Changle Tang, Xiaojuan Zhang

Published in American Journal of Information Science and Technology (Volume 3, Issue 1)

Received: 3 December 2018 Accepted: 26 February 2019 Published: 19 March 2019

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

The principle of provenance is the fundamental theory of archives science, which also possesses important reference value in various areas of research and practice. This paper commences with investigating the core value of the principle of provenance, considering the principle to be the unity of theory and method and its core value lies in following historicalism and respecting essential attributes of the archives. Then the authors focus on the realm of government information management and explore the metadata implementation of the core value of the principle of provenance in the era of electronic records. In its essence, the principle of provenance requires full understanding and preservation of the source information of the record. In the age of electronic records this has ascended to the significance of obtaining "contextual information", which is often stabilized as metadata in electronic records, reflecting the process of the record’s creation, maintenance and long term preservation. Source information as the contextual information reflecting the record creation process, its typical form of expression in metadata is provenance metadata. Therefore the authors explore the implications of provenance metadata and its essential forms. The authors hold that source information is the indispensable characteristic information in records and archives, and also the essential form for the principle of provenance to exhibit the connotations of "provenance". This paper also explains that provenance metadata has further realized the core value of the principle of provenance, playing important roles in ensuring the authenticity, integrity, reliability and usability of electronic records as well as being the basis of their long term preservation and usage. In addition, the authors make concrete exposition on the composition and function of provenance metadata, considering it to be composed of entities and elements, specifically including such metadata as institution, business, environment, relationship and time. Different provenance metadata entities and elements record the source information of the electronic record from its creation until transfer to archives, performing various important functions in government electronic record management. The authors further their research through analyzing and comparing the characteristics of provenance metadata in government electronic record metadata standards at international, national and local jurisdictions levels. Some feasible suggestions for future research are made in the conclusion.

Published in	American Journal of Information Science and Technology (Volume 3, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13
Page(s)	17-25
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Principle of Provenance, Core Value, Source Information, Provenance Metadata, E-government, Government Information Management, Electronic Records

References

[1]	Papritz, J. (1976). Archivwissenschaft: Archivische Ordnungslehre; 1 (Vol. 3). Archivschule.
[2]	Lemieux, V. L. (2016). Provenance: Past, Present and Future in Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Perspective. In Building Trust in Information (pp. 3-45). Springer, Cham.
[3]	Burgess, L. C. (2016). Provenance in digital libraries: Source, context, value and trust. In Building trust in information (pp. 81-91). Springer, Cham.
[4]	Missier, P. (2016). The lifecycle of provenance metadata and its associated challenges and opportunities. In Building Trust in Information (pp. 127-137). Springer, Cham.
[5]	Chawuthai, R., Wuwongse, V., & Takeda, H. (2012). A formal approach to the modelling of digital archives. In International Conference on Asian Digital Libraries (pp. 179-188). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
[6]	Huang, A. W.-C., Chuang, T. (2014). Relations for reusing (R4R) in a shared context: an exploration on research publications and cultural objects. In the 4th International Workshop on Semantic Digital Archives (SDA) (pp. 49-60). London.
[7]	Sweeney, S. (2008). The ambiguous origins of the archival principle of" provenance". Libraries & the Cultural Record, 43(2), 193-213.
[8]	Liu, J. (2007). Lun laiyuan yuanze de lishi yanbian [On the Historical Evolution of the Principle of Provenance] Shanghai Archives 6, 31-32.
[9]	Hao, J. (2000). Laiyuan yuanze yu dang'an guanli [Principle of Provenance and Archives Management] Archives Science Bulletin 2, 7-9.
[10]	Shi, K. (2002). Yuanze yu fangfa: Xinxi shidai laiyuan yuanze dingwei de sikao [Principle and Method: Thoughts on Position of the Principle of Provenance] Shanxi Archives 5, 10-13.
[11]	“Yanjiusheng Luntan” Editorial Board. (1999). Quanzong lilun, laiyuan yuanze zai tantao [Fonds Theory: Re-exploration of the Principle of Provenance] Archives Science Bulletin 3.
[12]	Sang, Y., Xie, H. & Sun, G. (2005). Lishi zhuyi de liliang--lun dang'an guanli zhong de lishi zhuyi yuanze [The Power of Historicalism – On the Principle of Historicalism in Archives Management] Archives Management 6, 22-24.
[13]	Huang, D. (2015). Zhongguo dang'an shiye xin shengtai huanjing xia laiyuan yuanze de sidai fazhan qushi [The Four Developing Tendencies of the Principle of Provenance of Chinese Archives Management in the new Ecological Environment] Shanxi Archives 2, 108-111.
[14]	Ji, H. (2003). “Xin laiyuan guan”: Shizhì yu yìyi tanxi [“New Concept of Provenance”: Exploring the Essence and Significance] Archives Science Bulletin 1, 21-25.
[15]	Sang, Y. (2007). Lishi zhuyi: Dang'anxue lilun yu dang'an guanli shijian de lìliang yuanquan [Principle of Historicalism: Power Source of Archival Science Theory and Practice of Archives Management] Archives Science Bulletin 2, 1.
[16]	Yu, L. (1997). Quan zong yuanze, laiyuan yuanze ji qi youguan wenti [Fonds Principle, Principle of Provenance and Related Issues] Archives Science Bulletin 6, 21-26.
[17]	Huang, X. (2006). Hun xi liìshi zhuyi: Xifang dang'an xue zhizhu lilun fazhan yanjiu [The Soul hinges on Historicalsim: Research on the Development of the Pillar Theory of Western Archival Science]. Beijing: China Renmin University Press.
[18]	Feng, H. (1998). Dianzi wenjian shidai xin siwei “yongyou xin jiyì——dianzi wenjian guanli yanjiu” zhaiyao zhi liu [New Thinking in the Era of Electronic Records – “Possessing New Memory – Research on Management of Electronic Records” Summary Part VI] Archives Science Bulletin 6, 32-35.
[19]	Huang, Y. (2014). Hexin gainian yi li bianjie, zhizhu lilun fanghu genji——“laiyuan guan” de yanbian ji qi tedian he yingxiang pingjia [Border, pillar theory and basis of fence better be established for core concepts – Evolution of the “View of Provenance” and evaluations of its characteristics] Archives Science Bulletin 5, 23-28.
[20]	Ma, F. (2011). Xinxiguanlixue Jichu [Foundations of Information Management]. Wuhan: Wuhan University Press. 3.
[21]	Xu, F. (2002). Laiyuan yuanze zai dianzi dang'an guanli zhong de zuoyong [Functions of Principle of Provenance in Management of Electronic Records] Archives Science Study 3, 17-20.
[22]	Liu, Y. (1999). Laiyuan yuanze shi dang'an zhuanye de yiban fangfa [Principle of Provenance is the General Method Archives Profession] China Archives 4, 36-39.
[23]	United Nations Archives and Records Management Section. Glossary of Recordkeeping Terms, https://archives.un.org/content/glossary (Accessed on 16/11/2018)
[24]	Thibodeau, K. (2016). Research issues in archival provenance. In Building Trust in Information (pp. 69-78). Springer, Cham.
[25]	Huang, X. (2004). Hun xi liìshi zhuyi: Xifang dang'an xue liangda zhizhu lilun fazhan yanjiu [Soul hinging on Historicalism: Research on the Developments of the two main Pillar Theories in Western Archival Science] Archives Science Bulletin 1, 57-60.
[26]	Guo, P. & Zhou, Q. (2016). Dianzi wenjian guanlǐ shijiao xia beijing xinxi yu yuanshuju de bijiao yanjiu [Comparative Studies of Contextual Information and Metadata under the Perspective of Electronic Record Management] Shanxi Archives 5, 44-46.
[27]	Feng, H. (1997). Yongyou xin jiyi——dianzi wenjian guanli yanjiu [Possessing New Memory – Research on Management of Electronic Records]. Beijing: China Renmin University Press.
[28]	Duan, R. (2013). Guoji dang'an guifan jilu biaozhunhuu yanjiu [Study on the International Archival Authority Record’s Standardization] Archives Science Study 5, 63-73.
[29]	He, J. (2002). Lun laiyuan yuanze zai bangong zidonghua xitong zhong de yingyong [On Application of the Principle of Provenance to Office Automation System] Journal of Zhejiang University (Humanities and Social Sciences) 32(5), 110-116.
[30]	Huang, R. & Zhang, J. (2013). Shi lun laiyuan yuanze zai gaoxiao dianzi wenjian guanlǐ zhong de tixian yu yingyong [Discussing the Presentation and Application of the Principle of Provenance in Higher Education Electronic Record Management]. 2013 National Young Archivists Seminar.
[31]	Ma, L. (2014). Jiyu zhineng de wenjian fenlei: Lilun, fangfa yu shijian [Function-based Records Classification: Theory, Methods and Practice]. Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press.
[32]	Duan, R. (2014). Jiyu RDF de dianzi wenjian beijing xinxi zhibao yanjiu [Study on the Electronic Records' Contextual Information's Markup Based on RDF] Archives & Construction 7, 9-14.
[33]	Duan, R. (2002). XML zai dianzi wenjian yuanshuju guanli zhong de yingyong [Application of XML in Management of Electronic Records] Document, Information & Knowledge 6, 53-54.
[34]	Song, X. (2009). Dang'an yuanshuju (EAD) zhulu yuanze tanxi [Exploring the Description Principles of Encoded Archival Description Metadata] Archives Science Bulletin 6, 57-59.,
[35]	ISO23081-2:2009 Information and documentation -- Managing metadata for records -- Part 2: Conceptual and implementation issues https://www.iso.org/standard/50863.html (Accessed on 5/6/2017)
[36]	Encoded Archival Description Version 3.0 http://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/TagLibrary-VersionEAD3.pdf (Accessed on 5/6/2017)
[37]	Standard on Recordkeeping Metadata, UN Archives and Records Management Section (ARMS) https://docplayer.net/50211627-Standard-on-recordkeeping-metadata.html (Accessed on 16/11/2018)
[38]	Metadata Guidance for the Transfer of Permanent Electronic Records https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2015/2015-04.html (Accessed on 5/6/2017)
[39]	Wenjianlei dianzi wenjian yuanshuju fangan [Metadata Standard for Administrative Electronic Records] http://www.docin.com/p-239387286.html (Accessed on 5/6/2017)
[40]	Australian Government Recordkeeping Metadata Standard http://www.naa.gov.au/Images/AGRkMS-Version-2.2-June-2015_tcm16-93990.pdf (Accessed on 5/6/2017)
[41]	Requirements for Electronic Records Management Systems 2: Metadata Standard http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/jrequirementsfinal.pdf (Accessed on 16/11/2018)
[42]	Government of Canada Records Management Metadata Standard http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/0070002/f6/0070002-5001-e.pdf (Accessed on 16/11/2018)
[43]	Minnesota Recordkeeping Metadata Standard http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/docs_pdfs/IRM_20_Version_1_3.pdf (Accessed on 5/6/2017)
[44]	Duranti, L., Eastwood, T., Eastwood, T., & MacNeil, H. (2002). Preservation of the integrity of electronic records. Dordrecht; Boston: Kluwer Academic.
[45]	MacNeil, H. (2009). Trusting description: authenticity, accountability, and archival description standards. Journal of Archival Organization, 7(3), 89-107.
[46]	Michetti, G. (2016). Provenance: An Archival Perspective. In Building Trust in Information (pp. 59-68). Springer, Cham.
[47]	Bearman, D. (1989). Description standards: a framework for action. The American archivist, 52(4), 514-519.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Changle Tang, Xiaojuan Zhang. (2019). Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases. American Journal of Information Science and Technology, 3(1), 17-25. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Changle Tang; Xiaojuan Zhang. Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases. Am. J. Inf. Sci. Technol. 2019, 3(1), 17-25. doi: 10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Changle Tang, Xiaojuan Zhang. Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases. Am J Inf Sci Technol. 2019;3(1):17-25. doi: 10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13,
  author = {Changle Tang and Xiaojuan Zhang},
  title = {Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases},
  journal = {American Journal of Information Science and Technology},
  volume = {3},
  number = {1},
  pages = {17-25},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajist.20190301.13},
  abstract = {The principle of provenance is the fundamental theory of archives science, which also possesses important reference value in various areas of research and practice. This paper commences with investigating the core value of the principle of provenance, considering the principle to be the unity of theory and method and its core value lies in following historicalism and respecting essential attributes of the archives. Then the authors focus on the realm of government information management and explore the metadata implementation of the core value of the principle of provenance in the era of electronic records. In its essence, the principle of provenance requires full understanding and preservation of the source information of the record. In the age of electronic records this has ascended to the significance of obtaining "contextual information", which is often stabilized as metadata in electronic records, reflecting the process of the record’s creation, maintenance and long term preservation. Source information as the contextual information reflecting the record creation process, its typical form of expression in metadata is provenance metadata. Therefore the authors explore the implications of provenance metadata and its essential forms. The authors hold that source information is the indispensable characteristic information in records and archives, and also the essential form for the principle of provenance to exhibit the connotations of "provenance". This paper also explains that provenance metadata has further realized the core value of the principle of provenance, playing important roles in ensuring the authenticity, integrity, reliability and usability of electronic records as well as being the basis of their long term preservation and usage. In addition, the authors make concrete exposition on the composition and function of provenance metadata, considering it to be composed of entities and elements, specifically including such metadata as institution, business, environment, relationship and time. Different provenance metadata entities and elements record the source information of the electronic record from its creation until transfer to archives, performing various important functions in government electronic record management. The authors further their research through analyzing and comparing the characteristics of provenance metadata in government electronic record metadata standards at international, national and local jurisdictions levels. Some feasible suggestions for future research are made in the conclusion.},
 year = {2019}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases
AU  - Changle Tang
AU  - Xiaojuan Zhang
Y1  - 2019/03/19
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13
T2  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
JF  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
JO  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
SP  - 17
EP  - 25
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-0588
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13
AB  - The principle of provenance is the fundamental theory of archives science, which also possesses important reference value in various areas of research and practice. This paper commences with investigating the core value of the principle of provenance, considering the principle to be the unity of theory and method and its core value lies in following historicalism and respecting essential attributes of the archives. Then the authors focus on the realm of government information management and explore the metadata implementation of the core value of the principle of provenance in the era of electronic records. In its essence, the principle of provenance requires full understanding and preservation of the source information of the record. In the age of electronic records this has ascended to the significance of obtaining "contextual information", which is often stabilized as metadata in electronic records, reflecting the process of the record’s creation, maintenance and long term preservation. Source information as the contextual information reflecting the record creation process, its typical form of expression in metadata is provenance metadata. Therefore the authors explore the implications of provenance metadata and its essential forms. The authors hold that source information is the indispensable characteristic information in records and archives, and also the essential form for the principle of provenance to exhibit the connotations of "provenance". This paper also explains that provenance metadata has further realized the core value of the principle of provenance, playing important roles in ensuring the authenticity, integrity, reliability and usability of electronic records as well as being the basis of their long term preservation and usage. In addition, the authors make concrete exposition on the composition and function of provenance metadata, considering it to be composed of entities and elements, specifically including such metadata as institution, business, environment, relationship and time. Different provenance metadata entities and elements record the source information of the electronic record from its creation until transfer to archives, performing various important functions in government electronic record management. The authors further their research through analyzing and comparing the characteristics of provenance metadata in government electronic record metadata standards at international, national and local jurisdictions levels. Some feasible suggestions for future research are made in the conclusion.
VL  - 3
IS  - 1
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Changle Tang

School of Information Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Xiaojuan Zhang

School of Information Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Changle Tang, Xiaojuan Zhang. (2019). Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases. American Journal of Information Science and Technology, 3(1), 17-25. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Changle Tang; Xiaojuan Zhang. Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases. Am. J. Inf. Sci. Technol. 2019, 3(1), 17-25. doi: 10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Changle Tang, Xiaojuan Zhang. Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases. Am J Inf Sci Technol. 2019;3(1):17-25. doi: 10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13,
  author = {Changle Tang and Xiaojuan Zhang},
  title = {Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases},
  journal = {American Journal of Information Science and Technology},
  volume = {3},
  number = {1},
  pages = {17-25},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajist.20190301.13},
  abstract = {The principle of provenance is the fundamental theory of archives science, which also possesses important reference value in various areas of research and practice. This paper commences with investigating the core value of the principle of provenance, considering the principle to be the unity of theory and method and its core value lies in following historicalism and respecting essential attributes of the archives. Then the authors focus on the realm of government information management and explore the metadata implementation of the core value of the principle of provenance in the era of electronic records. In its essence, the principle of provenance requires full understanding and preservation of the source information of the record. In the age of electronic records this has ascended to the significance of obtaining "contextual information", which is often stabilized as metadata in electronic records, reflecting the process of the record’s creation, maintenance and long term preservation. Source information as the contextual information reflecting the record creation process, its typical form of expression in metadata is provenance metadata. Therefore the authors explore the implications of provenance metadata and its essential forms. The authors hold that source information is the indispensable characteristic information in records and archives, and also the essential form for the principle of provenance to exhibit the connotations of "provenance". This paper also explains that provenance metadata has further realized the core value of the principle of provenance, playing important roles in ensuring the authenticity, integrity, reliability and usability of electronic records as well as being the basis of their long term preservation and usage. In addition, the authors make concrete exposition on the composition and function of provenance metadata, considering it to be composed of entities and elements, specifically including such metadata as institution, business, environment, relationship and time. Different provenance metadata entities and elements record the source information of the electronic record from its creation until transfer to archives, performing various important functions in government electronic record management. The authors further their research through analyzing and comparing the characteristics of provenance metadata in government electronic record metadata standards at international, national and local jurisdictions levels. Some feasible suggestions for future research are made in the conclusion.},
 year = {2019}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Associations Between the Principle of Provenance and Metadata: Practical Implementation and Cases
AU  - Changle Tang
AU  - Xiaojuan Zhang
Y1  - 2019/03/19
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13
T2  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
JF  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
JO  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
SP  - 17
EP  - 25
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-0588
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190301.13
AB  - The principle of provenance is the fundamental theory of archives science, which also possesses important reference value in various areas of research and practice. This paper commences with investigating the core value of the principle of provenance, considering the principle to be the unity of theory and method and its core value lies in following historicalism and respecting essential attributes of the archives. Then the authors focus on the realm of government information management and explore the metadata implementation of the core value of the principle of provenance in the era of electronic records. In its essence, the principle of provenance requires full understanding and preservation of the source information of the record. In the age of electronic records this has ascended to the significance of obtaining "contextual information", which is often stabilized as metadata in electronic records, reflecting the process of the record’s creation, maintenance and long term preservation. Source information as the contextual information reflecting the record creation process, its typical form of expression in metadata is provenance metadata. Therefore the authors explore the implications of provenance metadata and its essential forms. The authors hold that source information is the indispensable characteristic information in records and archives, and also the essential form for the principle of provenance to exhibit the connotations of "provenance". This paper also explains that provenance metadata has further realized the core value of the principle of provenance, playing important roles in ensuring the authenticity, integrity, reliability and usability of electronic records as well as being the basis of their long term preservation and usage. In addition, the authors make concrete exposition on the composition and function of provenance metadata, considering it to be composed of entities and elements, specifically including such metadata as institution, business, environment, relationship and time. Different provenance metadata entities and elements record the source information of the electronic record from its creation until transfer to archives, performing various important functions in government electronic record management. The authors further their research through analyzing and comparing the characteristics of provenance metadata in government electronic record metadata standards at international, national and local jurisdictions levels. Some feasible suggestions for future research are made in the conclusion.
VL  - 3
IS  - 1
ER  -

Copy | Download