Contemporary Archival Diplomatics as a Method of Inquiry: Lessons Learned from Two Research Projects

Abstract

This article explores the use of contemporary archival diplomatics as a method of inquiry in two recent electronic records research projects, namely, The Protection of the Integrity of Electronic Records Project (the UBC Project) and the International Research on the Preservation of Authentic Records in Electronic Records Systems Project (the InterPARES 1 Project). The first part of the article examines the historical and contemporary literary warrant underpinning diplomatics as a method of inquiry; the second part provides case studies of two illustrative examples of the process and results of the application of contemporary archival diplomatics in the above-mentioned research projects; the third part considers the current status and possible future directions for the use of contemporary archival diplomatics as a research method and concludes with some observations about the value of multiple methods and alternative interpretive frameworks in archival research.