2017 Revisions of Events Vocabulary

December 4th, 2017 Announcement

The PREMIS Editorial Committee has just released the recently revised set of Preservation Event Type Controlled Vocabulary via the Library of Congress Linked Data Service (Preservation Schemes). 26 new terms were added to the existing set of 16 terms, resulting in 42 total terms in the current set.

August 30th, 2017 Announcement

The PREMIS Editorial Committee has decided to revise the recently released Preservation Events Controlled Vocabulary (released in June 2017). This August 2017 revision amends a mix up in the details of “ingestion” and “dissemination”, where SIPs and DIPs were referenced wrongly. In addition, this revision takes note of conversations in the PREMIS listserv around the “modification” event. The original detail for this event explicitly stated that the “event does not create a new object”. However, this is in opposition to the stated 1:1 principle of the PREMIS data dictionary, which states that “[i]t is not possible to change a file (or bitstream or representation); one can only create a new file (or bitstream or representation) that is related to the source Object” [p.22]. On reflection, the Committee decided to change some of the detail of that event in order to resolve that dissonance with the standard. The new detail removes the requirement of working only on the original file. The intent of the event is now that a new object is created. The institution can decide whether or not (and how) to record that relationship between the modified file and the original. As always, we are always keen to continue discussions and are more than happy to answer any questions. See below for the changes.

Event	Description	Detail
Modification (old)	The act of changing a file or bitstream after receipt of the object.	This event does not create a new object. The modification takes place on the object.
Modification (new)	The act of changing a file or bitstream after receipt of the object.	The modification takes place on the object, in contrast to the “metadata modification” event.

June 29th, 2017 Announcement

The PREMIS Editorial Committee is delighted to announce the release of a new version of the controlled vocabulary for preservation events. The list of events and descriptions are now available on the website [http://lcnetdev.github.io/standards/premis/v3/preservation-events.pdf]. They will be made available on the Library of Congress linked data service shortly [http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/preservation.html]. Further documentation giving more context about the events and how they could be used will be posted to the PREMIS website in the coming weeks.

What is it about? Preservation events are at the core of what we, as a professionals working in digital preservation, do. They are the indicators of the functions we undertake on digital objects in our care and are therefore key to ensuring the integrity of those objects. This version of the controlled vocabulary updates the existing list of 16 events.
Why an updated version? The existing list was first generated in 2010 and last modified in 2012. A lot has happened since then including an increase in the number of organisations with experience in undertaking digital preservation activities and a shift in the depth of knowledge about these activities. This update takes advantage of these experiences and advances.
What is covered? To be clear, this vocabulary of events does not cover all functions that a preservation repository will undertake. Such an undertaking would assume a homogeneity across institutions and systems. The digital preservation community is not yet at that stage. The vocabulary contains what we believe to be a strong representation of activities that a preservation programme could be undertaking. Local implementations should of course supplement the vocabulary with their own events where required.
Who was involved? The review was led by the PREMIS Editorial Committee. I would like to acknowledge the work of Lina Bountouri of the EU Publications Office who participated as a member of the working group. The review also benefitted immensely from input from individuals and institutions who offered expert advice and support at various stages.
Further documentation giving more context about the events and how they could be used will be posted to the PREMIS website in the coming weeks.