Connecting the Bits and Digital Preservation Futures are the two most important events on the calendar* which allow our members to let us know about the challenges they are facing, the support they need over the next year and any views they have on the way we do things. Plus, they are good fun and a great excuse to catch up with people we haven't managed to see over the previous 12 months...
*If any members are reading this and are planning on attending, but haven’t signed up yet, registration will close tomorrow!
With the membership larger, more diverse and more dispersed than ever before, now with 82 members across the world, we are super excited at the opportunity to hear about the digital preservation challenges such a diverse bunch are facing! That said, gathering together such a diverse and dispersed group of organisations is a challenge in itself. Around 25% of members now have their bases outside the UK and Ireland, but even regardless of geographic location, work commitments and travel budgets are getting tighter and tighter, so we know that not everyone is going to be able to join us in person in Glasgow.
With that in mind, we have set out some plans for engaging remotely…
- ATTEND/RESPOND: Digital Preservation Futures Webinar Mini-Series - pre-event
We're holding a mini-series of webinars which starts with our DPC Supporters (tomorrow!) and provides an opportunity to hear what they have to offer and what they are working on next. These sessions allow members to share what they'd like to see as part of their products and services. We’ll also record the sessions so members can watch at a more convenient time if they are unable to make the live webinar.
Register here: https://dpconline.org/events
We're also asking members to respond to the webinars by completing this VERY short survey, telling us about your requirements and priorities for the Digital Preservation Future: https://sarahdpc.typeform.com/to/y8sftu
- WATCH/READ/RESPOND: Connecting the Bits - On the day
At Connecting the Bits, full members are invited to present or submit a 3 minute video on their work and their upcoming challenges. We’ll live stream and record this portion of the day for members and then extract the key themes we see emerging during the first break. We’ll then email these out to members for information, reflection and feedback!
Members can watch the live stream on the day here: https://dpconline.org/events/members-only-briefing-day-and-webinar/ctb-2018
- WATCH/READ/RESPOND: Digital Preservation Futures - On the day
The Digital Preservation Futures Event will start with a summary of the themes discussed the previous day at Connecting the Bits, organizing these into priorities on which a panel of our DPC Supporters will respond and comment. We will live stream and record this portion of the day, before breaking out into discussion groups.
We will collate the feedback gathered from each of the discussion groups throughout the day and email this out to members to read, digest and reflect upon.
Watch the live stream on the day: https://dpconline.org/events/members-only-briefing-day-and-webinar/dpf-2018
- ATTEND/RESPOND: Digital Preservation Futures Webinar Mini-Series - post-event
The first of two follow up webinars will be a joint panel discussion with the DPC Supporters and an opportunity to ask further questions and make more suggestions. Do the solution providers proposals for the next 12 months meet your requirements? What more could be done to support you in meeting the challenges you are facing?
The second will be a webinar with the DPC team who will set out the program of activities for the year to come based on ideas and suggestions at Connecting the Bits. Please attend and add more suggestions, ask questions and challenge the plans!
Register here: https://dpconline.org/events
So this is our plan for this time, this year. We know there are probably more/other/different things we could do, but we hope to learn from this experience, and your experiences, so that we can steadily improve our online offerind and process of remote engagement. So please do give it a try and tell us what you think.