Define the release decision
The same provenance document set exists as an email attachment, browser download, scan and cloud-synced copy. A controlled provenance packet needs one verified version without avoidable plaintext residue.
Remove duplicate scans, blank pages, hidden metadata and unnecessary ownership details before archiving.
Run the control sequence
- 01Compare source, acquisition period, date, size and checksum before selecting the authoritative copy.
- 02Review PDFs for blank pages, annotations, metadata and unrelated owner, lender or claimant information.
- 03Remove fields unrelated to the approved collections task and minimize details the authorized recipient did not request.
- 04Preserve originals when cultural-property, acquisition, audit, collections-policy or legal rules require them.
- 05Record authorized cleanup and inspect downloads, scan folders and sync locations for residue.
Preserve enough evidence
Record the provenance packet identifier, acquisition review, source device or system, export date, manifest, responsible custodian, authorized recipients, key location, encryption environment, recovery result, retention rule and next review date. Do not put passwords, recovery secrets or unnecessary ownership details in the decision record.
Keep the manifest, custodian, approved recipient, key-separation decision, restore result and retention owner together without copying ownership details into the record.
Keep surrounding controls visible
Cleanup does not prove deletion from provider systems, email servers, backups, recipient devices or solid-state storage.
Provenance-export preparation can create extra copies on tablets, laptops, removable media, synchronization folders and recipient devices. The archive owner must address those copies separately and verify the current software release before relying on product behavior. Collections teams should also distinguish documentary confidentiality from physical-object security: encrypting provenance files does not protect an artifact, preserve chain of custody, establish title or resolve a restitution claim. Record who can approve an export, who can authorize access and who can change the collections-system master record.
Questions to ask
Should the archive password travel with the provenance packet?
No. Send the archive and its credential through separate approved channels, and verify the authorized recipient before release.
Does encryption make a provenance packet accurate or authorized?
No. Encryption restricts file access; it does not establish legal title, provenance authenticity, donor or seller consent, recipient authority or ownership and cultural-property duties.
Primary references
References support specific controls and do not imply endorsement.