Save the date for this World Digital Preservation Day (WDPD) on Thursday 2 November 2023 and join individuals and institutions from across the globe in a celebration of digital preservation!
With the theme ‘Digital Preservation: A Concerted Effort’, World Digital Preservation Day 2023 is a great opportunity to connect the digital preservation community and celebrate the positive impact digital preservation has had in another year where digital information and infrastructure have been so instrumental in supporting all parts of our global society.
“We hear it all the time: If you are working in digital preservation and you are not collaborating, then you are on a lonely road”, says Sarah Middleton, DPC Head of Advocacy and Community Engagement. “It takes time and actively working together with colleagues, partner institutions, open-source developers, friends and other community members to take digital preservation to the next level. Or, in the words of this year’s WDPD theme: No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it!”*
Open to participation from anyone interested in securing our digital legacy - across all sectors and geographic locations - the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) invites archivists, data creators, curators, consumers and community members from around the world to ‘make a concerted effort’ this World Digital Preservation Day by sharing their own digital preservation stories through blog posts, social media posts, events and creative activities.
This year, the DPC is also thrilled to introduce a brand-new World Digital Preservation Day logo. The new WDPD logo uses a golden colour to highlight new voices in our community. Representative of community and support, the circles of different sizes embody the variety of organizations and institutions which make up the digital preservation community. Watch out for translations and stickers, which will be coming soon!
As well as expecting themed blog posts, social media posts, photos, artworks, baking, singing, dancing and other crafts, the DPC will release a new edition of its Global Bit List of Endangered Digital Species. The DPC's ‘Bit List’ is a community-sourced list of at-risk digital materials which highlights the need for action to preserve high-value digital content that is critically endangered, as well as calling for significant cultural change to the way we value digital resources.
World Digital Preservation Day is just one of the ways the DPC helps to raise awareness of the strategic, cultural, and technological issues which make up the digital preservation challenge. The DPC also supports members through other advocacy activities, workforce development, and partnerships, helping members to deliver resilient long-term access to digital content and services and derive enduring value from their digital collections.
A detailed program and more information about World Digital Preservation Day will be issued over the coming months.
For all the latest updates, visit the World Digital Preservation Day page on the DPC website, follow the hashtag #WDPD2023 on social media or contact angela.puggioni@dpconline.org for more details.
* quote by H.E. Luccock