Preservation Metadata Standards for Digital Resources: What we have and What we need.

A key component for the successful preservation of digital resources is going to be the metadata that enables automated preservation processes to take place. The number of digital items will preclude human handling and the fact that these resources are electronic makes them logical for computer driven preservation activities. Over the last decade there have been a number of digital repository experiments that took different approaches, developed and used different data models, and generally moved our understanding forward. This paper reports on a recent initiative, PREMIS, that builds upon concepts and experience to date. It merits careful testing to see if the metadata identified can be used generally and become a foundation for more detailed metadata. And how much more will be needed for preservation activities? Initiatives for additional technical metadata and document format registries are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]