The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) is pleased to announce that Version 2 of its Digital Preservation Competency Framework, and updated companion resources, are now available on the DPC Website.
First published in 2022, the DPC Digital Preservation Competency Framework identifies and describes the skills, knowledge, and competencies required for successful digital preservation. It aims to reflect current good practice whilst also being designed with flexibility in mind - to offer a balance of detail so that it can be widely applicable for a range of applications as well as useable by digital preservation practitioners across different organizational contexts.
Possible uses of the Competency Framework include:
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Facilitating recruitment
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Structuring professional development
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Auditing skills
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Reviewing curricula
Version 2 of the Competency Framework retains the same Five Competency Areas and Twenty-Eight Skill Elements as Version 1, however, the Five Skill Levels defined have been renamed to provide greater clarity for users. A number of Example Activities for specific Skill Elements have also been updated or added. The changes to the Framework have been made to incorporate community feedback and in response to emerging trends in digital preservation.
“We’ve had lots of positive feedback on the Competency Framework, particularly in relation to deploying the Competency Audit Toolkit - or CAT - for organizational skills audits”, explains Sharon McMeekin, Head of Workforce Development with the DPC. “But, no resource is perfect, which is why the DPC is committed to regularly reviewing our outputs, always incorporating opportunities for community feedback. Although, on this occasion, the changes were relatively minor, the review process was an excellent opportunity to revisit and improve the Framework to ensure it represents current digital preservation good practice.”
The Competency Audit Toolkit (DPC CAT) and the set of Example Role Descriptions have also been updated to reflect the new version of the Framework. These resources are also now accompanied by a new Learning Resources Portal to help practitioners find professional development opportunities.
The original development of DPC CAT was generously supported by the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Access the resources on the DPC website:
- The Digital Preservation Competency Framework
- The DPC Competency Audit Toolkit
- Example Digital Preservation Role Descriptions
- Learning Resources Portal