PREMISpreservation

PREMIS, short for Preservation Metadata: Implementation Strategies, is an international metadata standard designed to document the preservation context, actions, and provenance of digital objects to support long-term access. It provides a formal data model and encoding that capture the information needed to preserve authenticity, integrity, and usability across repositories and over time. PREMIS is widely used in digital preservation workflows and is commonly embedded within other standards such as METS. It aligns with the OAIS reference model by focusing on preservation metadata that describes objects, actions, agents, rights, and relationships involved in the life of a digital item.

Structure and core concepts

The PREMIS model organizes information into key concepts that together form Preservation Description Information (PDI). The main components are:

- Object: the digital item or its representation, including identifiers and basic attributes.

- Representation Information: details about the format, structure, and dependencies of the object.

- Event: preservation actions or changes applied to the object, with dates and outcomes.

- Agent: people or organizations responsible for actions or responsible for the object.

- Rights: permissions, licenses, and restrictions related to the object or its preservation.

- Relationship: links among objects, such as versions, derivatives, or related items.

Encoding and use

PREMIS metadata is most commonly encoded in XML and is frequently embedded in METS packages or stored in preservation repositories. It supports fixity information (checksums or message digests), format identification, provenance, and audit trails of preservation actions. Implementations are found in a variety of repository software and preservation workflows, including tools that automate preservation tasks and enable interoperability across institutions.

Governance and resources

The standard is maintained by an international community, with ongoing development and guidance published by the PREMIS Editorial Committee. Practitioners reference official PREMIS schemas, examples, and tutorials to implement consistent preservation metadata practices and to support interoperable preservation workflows.