# /research/projects/pmwg/wg1.htm

originally: http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/pmwg/wg1.htm

# Preservation Metadata Framework Working Group

In 2001-2002, OCLC and RLG convened an international working group of experts, representing a variety of institutions and initiatives, to consider and discuss fundamental issues associated with the use of metadata to support digital preservation.

## Objectives and results

The objectives of the Working Group were two-fold:

1. …to define the concept of preservation metadata, describe its importance in context of the overall digital preservation process, examine the "state-of the-art" in the use of metadata in support of digital preservation, and evaluate the prospects for a community-wide, consensus-building activity in the area of preservation metadata.
   The Working Group addressed this objective with the publication of:

   > Preservation Metadata for Digital Objects: A Review of the State of the Art (PDF:191K/50pp.)

   This document provides a discussion of the issues listed above, and sets the context for the Working Group's second objective.

2. …to develop a framework outlining the types of information—i.e., metadata—that should be associated with an archived digital object.
   The results of the Working Group's discussions were published in:

   > A Metadata Framework to Support the Preservation of Digital Objects (PDF:696K/54pp.)
   > Read the news release.

   The metadata framework takes the form of

   1. an expanded conceptual structure for the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) information model, and
   2. a set of metadata elements, mapped to the conceptual structure and reflecting the information concepts and requirements articulated in the OAIS model.

## Membership

- Brian Lavoie, OCLC Liaison
- Robin Dale, RLG Liaison
- Michael Alexander, British Library
- Kevin Bradley, National Library of Australia
- Michael Day, UKOLN
- Rebecca Guenther, Library of Congress
- Bernard Hurley, University of California, Berkeley
- Catherine Lupovici, NEDLIB
- Oya Reiger, Cornell University
- Derek Sergeant, CEDARS
- Titia van der Werf, NEDLIB
- Colin Webb, National Library of Australia
- Robin Wendler, Harvard University
- Deborah Woodyard, British Library

## Status

The activities of this Working Group are now complete.

## Contact

Please contact Brian Lavoie with any inquiries.

Updated: 5 March 2003