Join us and support digital preservation for all
Our generation has invested as never before in digital resources and we've done so because of the opportunity they bring. They have grown in volume, complexity and importance to the point that our children are baffled by the inefficiencies of the analogue age. Pervasive, fluid and fragile: digital data is a defining feature of our age. Industry, commerce, government, law, research, health, social care, education, the creative industries, the heritage sector and private life depend on digital materials to satisfy ubiquitous information needs and expectations. Digital preservation is an issue which all organisations, particularly in the knowledge sector, will need to address sooner or later. Digital preservation means long term access, and long term access means long term opportunity
There are also external drivers which contribute to the increasing relevance and importance of digital preservation. In the research area, for example, grant funding bodies are beginning to impose conditions which require ongoing access to, and sustainability of, digital assets created through their funding programmes. There are also legal drivers which impact on the management of digital material e.g. Freedom of Information, Data Protection Act.
What does the DPC do?
Through investment and active participation, members and allies ensure the strength and direction of the Coalition and achievement of its goals. Members and allies are typically investing significant resources in creating and disseminating digital information, digital archiving and curation, or in developing software and hardware products. There has a been a strong desire that the challenges of digital preservation should be addressed collaboratively and strategically, and prospective Coalition members have expressed their desire to provide funding for establishing the Coalition and begin addressing its mission and the common benefits it provides.
Our Strategic Plan for 2022 - 2027 defines five objectives:
-
Community: by offering a warm welcome to all agencies and individuals with an interest in digital preservation and providing an efficient and effective platform for meaningful and sustained professional exchange.
-
Advocacy: by working towards a climate of public and institutional policy which is better informed and better inclined towards digital preservation.
-
Workforce Development: by providing opportunities for our members to acquire, develop and retain competent and responsive workforces that are ready to address the challenges of digital preservation.
-
Good Practice: by supporting our members towards greater maturity in digital preservation through knowledge exchange, continuous improvement, horizon scanning, advice on standards, authoritative publications, and engaging and informative events.
-
Accountable, Sustainable and Dynamic Governance: by maintaining and enhancing our organizational functions and structures to ensure good governance.
These objectives are realised in our current DPC Prospectus 2024-2025 (also available in Arabic , Chinese , French , German and Spanish )
Which affiliation is right for you?
Organisations may be affiliated with the DPC in one of three ways:
|
Full Members |
Associate Members |
Supporters |
|
are able to set the direction of the coalition by appointing a representative to the board and are invited to develop a shared workplan with the coalition. Their staff and officers participate in all Coalition activities and have privileged access to Coalition publications. |
have full voting rights at the DPC Annual General Meeting and their staff and officers are invited to participate in all Coalition activities and have privileged access to publications. |
DPC is vendor and technology neutral so we don't accept membership applications from entities who sell digital preservation solutions, such as sofware companies, product owners or storage providers. That means our advice and recommendations are independent. But we recognize that our members are best served by a thriving market place for digital preservation solutions and that this best served where we can help our members keep in touch with proucts and vendors, where the DPC articulates and collates requirements for the community, and where vendors and soulution providers can develop longer term relationships with our members. So we have an open invitation for agencies that fit this decsription to support the work of the coalition. |
We also have a small set of Allied Organisations and Honorary Personal Members who are invited to participate and collaborate with us: Find out more.
How to make it happen ...
-
Read our prospectus (also available in Arabic , Chinese , French , German and Spanish ) and find out about different kinds of membership
-
Contact us so we can discuss it
-
Download the Membership Application Form ( PDF Version ) or Supporter Application Form
-
Complete and sign the form
-
Send your form so the Board can approve it.
-
That's it!