The DPC Representative Council receives a report every three months that describes all our major activities in the previous three months, and previews work in the coming three months. This report is structured around the 7 objectives of the DPC's Strategic Plan:
- Advocacy
- Community Engagement
- Workforce Development
- Capacity Building
- Good Practice and Standards
- Management and Governance
- Scaled to the Global Challenge
Reports for each area are scrutinized by a Sub-Committee of the Board before they reach the Council where they are a prompt for discussion and a record of progress. These reports, and the scrutiny that they undergo meet two requirements of the DPC’s values: that we are ‘transparent in all our dealings’ and that we ‘respond to the needs of members in the delivery of services’.
Highlights June to September 2021
As usual, it’s hard to pick highlights from this report considering the amount and quality of work that it represents. A few themes do emerge however:
- DPC has now achieved one of its core organizational goals when our registration as a charity was approved in June 2021.
- The prospectus for 2021 was launched on schedule in July 2021, based in part on the outcomes of the member consultation at ‘Connecting the Bits’.
- Growth in membership continues globally with significant new members coming on board since June including Getty, the Library and Archive of the Oireachtas both joining in August, and a new arrangement allowed us to welcome the National Library of New Zealand to the DPC under the auspices of NSLA.
- The ‘BitList’ returns later this year. A significant effort has continued in preparing this flagship campaign tool. The jury has met for the first time and a complete draft is in progress.
- A substantial body of good practice guidance were completed and released under the ‘Technology Watch Guidance Note’ series.
- Work is now under way on a Skills Framework for Digital Preservation, a long-sought expansion of previous but now quite dated efforts from the Workforce Development programme.
- The DPC’s new Head of Administration and Finance, John McMillan took over his new responsibilities on 1st August and our outgoing Business Manager has overseen a complete transition before retiring on 31st August. In addition, two new posts have been advertised in administration and in communications.
- Planning us now well underway to mark the DPC’s 20th Anniversary, particularly through hosting the iPres conference in Glasgow
- The ‘Novice to Know How’ programme marked an impressive milestone as 2000 learners have now completed the course.