Artifactsare

Artifactsare is a term used in digital preservation and related fields to describe a focus on artifacts as central objects of study, curation, and interpretation. The term is not tied to a single organization or formal standard; instead, it appears in various communities as a shorthand for approaches that foreground artifacts—digital files, datasets, software, or physical objects captured in an archival record—and their contexts.

Its usage spans disciplines such as digital humanities, archival science, and data science. Proponents use artifactsare to argue that understanding the provenance, relationships, and lifecycle of artifacts is essential for reproducibility, interpretation, and long-term access. Because it is informal, different projects may apply the concept in different ways, emphasizing different aspects of context, lineage, or usability.

Because artifactsare is not standardized, practices under its umbrella often stress interoperability and rich contextual metadata. Common elements include provenance data, relationships among artifacts, and contextual notes. Many practitioners advocate adopting established preservation and metadata standards to enable exchange and reuse, such as Dublin Core for descriptive metadata, PREMIS for preservation metadata, and PROV-O for provenance.

Critically, the term invites reflection on what counts as an artifact and how its value is shaped by context, user needs, and technological change. It serves as a reminder that preservation is not only about preserving bits, but also about preserving meanings and use scenarios over time.

See also: Artifact, Digital preservation, Data provenance, Metadata, Archival science.