The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) has launched its new Australasia office with an online celebration today.
More than 100 members of the digital preservation community from Australasia and around the world gathered online for a soft launch event which saw quizzes, games, party hats, balloons, self-supplied food and drink, as well as guest speakers spanning the history of the DPC, as the University of Melbourne welcomed the Digital Preservation Coalition to the southern hemisphere.
Members of the digital preservation community from around the globe gathered online to celebrate the launch of the DPC's new Australasia office in Melbourne
The new office in Melbourne will enable improved access to the Coalition’s program of activities for members and digital preservation practitioners across the southern hemisphere and will help the DPC to enable institutions at all stages of maturity in the digital preservation journey.
The DPC will also support, represent and amplify the work of an established and existing digital preservation community in Australasia, such as Australasia Preserves; complementing, celebrating and sustaining their activities and sharing them with the rest of the DPC. Having an office in Melbourne means that, following an initial planning and development period, the DPC will also provide face-to-face events for its members in Australasia, as well as facilitating knowledge exchange between members in the region through briefing days, working groups and task forces.
The initiative is the result of a strategic partnership between DPC and the University of Melbourne, and the office will be staffed by Jaye Weatherburn who has been seconded to the DPC.
“We are thrilled that we have already been able to welcome two new Australasian Members since we opened the office in January. The University of Sydney and, 100th Member, the University of Adelaide join a hugely active and dynamic group of DPC Members in Australasia, and we are very excited about working with them to support a community of practice for digital preservation in the region.”
Members in the region will join the DPC’s new Stakeholder Group, formed as part of its governance structure with the opening of the Office in Melbourne. This Stakeholder Group will ensure that Members in Australia, New Zealand and surrounding areas inform the development of the DPC’s program and have input to the broader strategic direction of the Coalition.
Gwenda Thomas, Director Scholarly Services and University Librarian for the University of Melbourne is especially encouraged by the DPC’s presence in the region, saying: “We are absolutely delighted that DPC membership in the southern hemisphere has almost doubled since the opening of the office just three months ago! This is a great indication that we are meeting a need in the southern hemisphere and we look forward to supporting further developments in the coming months and years. Having greater capacity locally and direct channels to thought leaders across the rest of the world will be mutually beneficially to meet global challenges.”
DPC teams in Australia and the UK will work together to enhance digital preservation capability across Australasia
(L-R:Donna McRostie, Jaye Weatherburn and Gwenda Thomas: Sarah Middleton, Alyson Campbell, William Kilbide, Paul Wheatley, Sara Thomson, Sharon McMeekin and Jenny Mitcham)
The not-for-profit DPC is an international advocate for digital preservation, helping members around the world to deliver resilient long-term access to digital content and services through community engagement, targeted advocacy work, training and workforce development, capacity building, good practice and standards, and through good management and governance.
Any Australasian organization that joins the DPC through our office in Melbourne, before 31st July 2020 may benefit from an additional 10% discount (when taking out three-year Membership).
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