Preservation Metadata Implementation Strategies (PREMIS)

Maintained by the Library of Congress.

PREMIS is a data dictionary and XML Schema for the encoding of information necessary to support the digital preservation process. Its data elements are divided into 5 categories, reflecting information on the PREMIS container, objects, events, agenda, and rights. A key feature of the PREMIS model is the definition of Objects as made up of Representations, Files, and Bitstreams. Also of note is the fact that PREMIS considers Objects immutable; if an action is taken on an Object that changes it, the result is a new but related Object. PREMIS intentionally excludes format-specific technical metadata from its scope, assuming implementers will use other relevant standards for tracking this information. The Library of Congress is the official PREMIS maintenance agency.