Archives are not trees. Hierarchical representations in digital environment

Preservation means access, and access is key to preservation. Access needs proper description and representation, which will be embedded in the tools used as mediating agents between users and records. XML and markup languages are more and more used to represent archival description in digital environment, so it is fundamental to investigate the hierarchical nature of XML structures and the way it influences the representation of archival materials. The internal structures of archives, articulated in fonds, series and archival units, are more and more represented as trees, and this raises some concerns about the restraints related to the hierarchical model. The adoption of a specific approach in access has consequences on preservation too, since objects’ representations stand for the objects themselves, and the name we use to call the thing, will be the thing. Therefore, the complex nature of archives needs to be represented through different and richer strategies.