The digital archival management system lies at the core of digital archives, especially for those traditional archives which develop from their digital preservation program. The present studies of this type of digital archives mostly contribute to strategical suggestions focusing on top design, foundation framework and technical roadmap, which are very useful but lack of practicality in specific implementation. At the same time, small and medium-sized local archives are faced with the problems of backward infrastructure and limited funding, inefficient retrieval, poor electronic records management and so on. How to construct an efficient digital archival management system with low cost while conforming to its own needs is a key issue in the practice of small and medium-sized archives. The Digital Archive of Vancouver can shed some light on it. Based on the field investigation of the Vancouver Archives, this paper reviews the construction process of Vancouver’s digital archival management system, analyzes and summarizes the four elements that contribute to the efficient and economic operation of its system, which may work as a reference for small and medium-sized local archives in their digital preservation programs..