This critical research-through-design study at the Stockholm City Archives addresses the lack of research infrastructure supporting image researchers’ metadata needs. It contributes to CSCW by situating design within a broader system of technologies, norms, and institutional practices, revealing what is at stake for archivists and researchers. It shows how the digital transformation of archival practices, rather than enabled participation, has reduced the autonomy of institutions and archivists, reinforcing centralized control, framing user generated content as a risk to institutional legitimacy in an era of misinformation. The findings indicates that a more participatory metadata interface for researchers within the Swedish galleries, libraries, archives, and museums sector require a reformulation of the institutions' role, to being a facilitator and provider of the standards needed for long-term participation, where strong objectivity is developed through more transparent archival processes and decentralized practices.