Abstract This article starts from two observations about archival description. First, creating finding aids requires significant judgment and interpretation, and is therefore inevitably influenced by the positionalities—the perspectives, personal histories, and social identities—of the archivists. Second, finding aids occasionally call for revision, sometimes to fit a new data standard or reflect an evolving collection, but also to correct errors, reduce bias, and remove harmful language. In light of these observations, this article has two aims. First, it develops and presents a theoretical rationale for recording metadata about finding aids, including revision history and authorship, arguing for transparency about positionality as a response to recognizing the infeasibility of impartiality. Second, it presents the results of a survey of state archivists in the US, who were asked about their descriptive practices and their attitudes regarding disclosing their authorship of finding aids. Results of the survey reveal diverse practices, as well as some hesitation to embrace expressions of positionality in the context of description. The article closes with a discussion of options for conceptualizing metadata about finding aids and the professional role of archivists, concluding with two general recommendations.

Owen C. King

Archival Science

档案学促进档案学作为一门自主科学学科的发展。该杂志涵盖档案科学理论、方法和实践的各个方面。此外，它研究了创建、管理和提供对档案、记录和数据的访问的不同文化方法。它还寻求促进世界各地与记录保存问题相关的概念、观点和态度的交流和比较。档案科学的方法是综合的、跨学科的和跨文化的。其范围包括记录过程相关信息的整个领域，分析在形式、结构和背景方面。为了实现其目标，该杂志借鉴了处理记录功能及其创建、保存和检索方式的科学学科；信息生成、管理的背景，和使用；以及不同时间和地点的记录创建的社会和文化环境。涵盖档案科学理论、方法和实践的各个方面，研究创建、管理和提供档案、记录和数据访问的不同文化方法促进交流比较世界各地与记录保存问题相关的概念、观点和态度记录过程相关信息的领域，根据形式、结构和上下文进行分析

Archival Science promotes the development of archival studies as an independent scientific discipline. This journal covers all aspects of archival science theory, methods, and practice, exploring various cultural approaches to the creation, management, and access to archives, records, and data. It seeks to facilitate the exchange and comparison of concepts, perspectives, and attitudes related to record preservation issues worldwide. The methodology of archival science is integrative, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural, encompassing the entire field of information related to the record process and analyzing it in terms of form, structure, and context. To achieve its goals, this journal draws on scientific disciplines that address the functions of records and their creation, preservation, and retrieval, as well as the contexts of information generation and management, and the social and cultural environments of record creation across different times and places.

《Archival Science》促进档案学作为一门独立科学学科的发展。该杂志涵盖档案科学的理论、方法和实践的各个方面，研究不同文化对档案、记录和数据的创建、管理和访问的方式。它还致力于促进全球范围内与记录保存相关的概念、观点和态度的交流与比较。档案科学的方法是综合的、跨学科的和跨文化的，涵盖与记录过程相关的信息领域，并分析其形式、结构和背景。为实现这些目标，该杂志借鉴了处理记录功能及其创建、保存和检索方式的科学学科，探讨信息生成和管理的背景，以及不同时间和地点的记录创建的社会和文化环境。

Archival meta-metadata: revision history and positionality of finding aids

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE	2