Abstract:

The principle of provenance is the core theory and principle of archival science, its theoretical contribution and practical value is timeless. This paper explores how to understand the principle of provenance and grasp its core values, and argues that the principle of provenance is the unity of theory and method, and its core value is to follow the historicalism and respect the archival nature. Then, it discusses the metadata realization of the core value of the principle in the electronic records era of government Information management, and mainly expounds the shift process from the provenance information to the provenance metadata, the inheritance of core values, and the composition and function of the provenance metadata. Finally，this paper compares the characteristics of the provenance metadata in the electronic document metadata standards from the international, national and local level.

Key words: Principle of provenance, Core value, Provenance metadata, E-government, Electronic records, Government information management