A look at Conceptual Models of Archival Description from a comparative perspective

Abstract

This article analyzes Conceptual Models of Description published in the archival field. The archival entities, sub-entities, relationships and attributes that make up the models under investigation are comparatively studied. This study shows that both the national and international models present a theoretical and structural design that facilitates the integration, access, interoperability and reuse of archival information. This analysis also makes it possible to identify the essential elements for archival representation, as well as the complementary information that is needed to capture the context of creation and use of the documents and their probative nature. This essay is descriptive in nature and its purpose is to show the convergent and divergent aspects of the models and also to underline the importance of the application of conceptual models in descriptive processes.