A STUDY OF THE THEORY OF APPRAISAL FOR SELECTION By ...

ecords. The analysis seeks to identify and understand the
functions, procedures and actions of the records creator, as they
are reflected in its administrative organization and in the
documentary forms of its records. The analysis, therefore, needs
to combine an administrative analysis with diplomatic analysis in
order to relate the functions and actions of the records creator
with the functions and role of the records. Because records are
essentially transactional and provide evidence of activities, the
analysis must focus on why and how records were created to
document those activities.
By respecting the integrity of the original order of a fonds
throughout the process, the probative nature of the records is
secured for all users. The unique relationship that is created
by the interaction between a researcher and the records of a
fonds defines the relativity of value. If the value of the
records, as defined by the particular perspective of one
researcher, is arbitrarily extended and imposed on all, the
result will be a gross distortion of meaning. The structural
analysis of provenance attempts to counteract this danger; for
the focus of the study is not the relationship between
researchers and records, but rather the relationship between the
parts of a fonds and the whole. That is, the focus of the study
is the identification and explanation of the archival nature of
the fonds.
In this manner, the application of provenance to appraisal
does not limit the use of the records to a particular subject
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