Stefano Viali works in the Florence State Archives in Italy, and he teaches in the Schools of Archival Science, Palaeography and Diplomatics of the State Archives of Florence, Bologna, Turin and Genoa. He also teaches Theories and Techniques of Arrangement and Description of Archives at the University of Turin. In 2007 he was visiting professor in archival studies at the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada). Among his duties at the Florence State Archvies, he is responsible for the application of information technology to the management and description of historical archives, and he supervises the design and structure od the Archives' Web Site http:www.archiviodistato.firenze.it). He was been a member of the ICA Committee on Descritive Standrs from 1996 and served as its Chair from 2000-2004. He is currently a member of the working group established by the Society of American Archivists for the Revision of Encoded Archival Context. He is the auhthor of many books and articles on contemporary history and archival science. Recent publications include: Passato digitale: Le fonti delio storico nell'era del computer (Digital Past: sources for Historians in the Digital Age; 2004) and Il potere degli archivi; Usi del passato e difesa dei diritti nella societa contemporanea (The Power of Archives: Interpreting the Past and Supporting Democracy in Contemporary Society (2007) in collaboratio with Linda Giuva and Isabella Zanni Rosiello).