Systems and/or methods for establishing and maintaining authenticity of a plurality of records and/or documentary materials to be persisted in an electronic archives system are provided. Each record and/or documentary material may be safeguarded throughout its entire lifecycle by monitoring and recording both intended changes to each said record and/or documentary material and its corresponding status, as well as unintended changes to each said record and/or documentary material. Context and structure associated with each said record and/or documentary material may be extracted and preserved. Substantially uninterrupted proof-of-custody including at least a source may be established and preserved for each said record and/or documentary material throughout its entire lifecycle. Essential characteristics of each said record and/or documentary material may be captured and preserved throughout its lifecycle in dependence on one or more changeable definitions of essential characteristic. The plurality of record and/or documentary material and all preserved information may be stored. The archives system may be scalable essentially without limitation. The authenticity of the plurality of record and/or documentary material may be comprehensively storable and maintainable over an indefinite period of time in a substantially obsolescence-proof manner despite changeability of the records and/or documentary materials, record and/or documentary material custody, and/or essential characteristic definitions.