Purpose: The aim of this paper is to explain the application metadata in the archival context, the various types of archival metadata standards based on their functionality, and the approaches for using metadata in this context.
Methodology/Approach: The research is a conceptual study and uses an analytical approach to pursue its aim. In this regard, the inherent features of the archival content objects, the necessity of using metadata for organizing and describing archival content objects, and modern and previous approaches are analyzed.
Findings/Conclusion: The archival context, like other information contexts, has some special inherent features such as the lack of a primary source of information, and the intra-context and extra-context relationships between archive content objects and objects from other contexts which affect their description and organization. Hereupon, it is vital to describe and organize archival content objects and to establish intra-context and extra-context relationships (with other cultural-context objects) adapting their inherent features. In the archival context, descriptive, administrative, structural, technical, conservational and legal factors in creating metadata are considered. Finally, the paper deals with new approaches for using metadata in the archival context, and the convergence of the archival metadata standards with other cultural contexts such as the library context.
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