Archival Description of Electronic Records: An Examination of Current Practices
Abstract
This article describes an investigation into current descriptive practices for electronic records, in the expectation that current practices would inform the development of descriptive standards. The rules of the investigation proved to be somewhat disappointing in terms of the original research problem. The analysis of existing descriptive products, however, reveals some interesting insights into a number of issues relating to electronic records, description, and archival administration; and identifies a number of areas where further research is required.
RÉSUMÉ
Cet article décrit les résultats d'une enquête menée dans le domaine des pratiques descriptives actuelles des dossiers électroniques en espérant que les pratiques présentes nous renseignent sur le développement des règles de description. Les résultats de cette enquête se sont révélés être quelque peu décevants quant à la problématique de la recherche initiale. Toutefois, l'analyse des outils de description actuels éclaire plusieurs questions relatives aux documents électroniques, à la description, et à l'administration des archives; l'article identifie également un certain nombre de secteurs où une recherche plus approfondie est encore requise.
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