Digital Preservation Europe

Electronic resources are a central part of our cultural and intellectual heritage, but this material is at risk. Digital memory needs constant management, using new techniques and processes, to contain such risks as technological obsolescence. Risk begins before the digital record is created and continues for as long as the digital object needs to be retained. Digital preservation is too big an issue for individual institutions or even sectors to address independently. Concerted action at both national and international level is required. DigitalPreservationEurope, building on the earlier successful work of ERPANET, facilitates pooling of the complementary expertise that exists across the academic research, cultural, public administration and industry sectors in Europe.

DigitalPreservationEurope (DPE) fosters collaboration and synergies between many existing national initiatives across the European Research Area. DPE addresses the need to improve coordination, cooperation and consistency in current activities to secure effective preservation of digital materials. DPE's project partners lead work to:

1. raise the profile of digital preservation;
2. promote the ability of Member States acting together to add value to digital preservation activities across Europe;
3. use cross-sectoral cooperation to avoid redundancy and duplication of effort;
4. ensure auditable and certificated standards for digital preservation processes are selected and introduced;
5. facilitate skills development through training packages;
6. enable relevant research coordination and exchange;
7. develop and promote a research agenda roadmap; and
8. help both citizens and specialist professionals recognise the central role that digital preservation plays in their lives and work

DPE's success will help to secure a shared knowledge base of the processes, synergy of activity, systems and techniques needed for the long-term management of digital material.

Find out more on the DPE web site