Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) opens new office in Melbourne, Australia

The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) has started 2020 with the opening of a new office, at the University of Melbourne. This presence will enable improved access to the DPC’s programme of activities for members and digital preservation practitioners across the southern hemisphere; helping support, represent and amplify the work of a very active digital preservation community in the region, as well as enabling institutions at all stages of maturity in the digital preservation journey.

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.

“Jaye will be well known to many people throughout the digital preservation community from her work in Melbourne, in particular ‘Australasia Preserves’ which she has encouraged and co-ordinated,” explains William Kilbride, Executive Director of the DPC.

“We are very excited to welcome her to the team. Her role will enable the DPC to provide much more targeted support so that, ultimately, organisations in the southern hemisphere have a robust platform through which to contribute to global conversations, and locally have access to services and support to contribute to the maturity of capability and capacity in digital curation and preservation practice.

With Jaye and the University of Melbourne, the DPC will support and expand the established and existing digital preservation community in Australasia, such as Australasia Preserves; complementing, celebrating and sustaining their activities and amplifying them for 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.

Donna McRostie, Deputy Director for Research and Collection Stewardship at University of Melbourne is also encouraged by the development saying: “with the support of the DPC’s sustainable infrastructure and expertise of an international and growing Coalition, this is a great way for us to reach the broader community here in Australasia and more broadly the southern hemisphere. Having greater capacity locally and direct channels to thought leaders in the northern hemisphere will be mutually beneficially to meet global challenges of digital preservation.”

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.

The DPC will formally celebrate the opening of the new office with an official launch at the Research Data Alliance conference in Melbourne in March 2020.

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Image: L-R: University of Melbourne’s Donna McRostie (Deputy Director,Research and Collection Stewardship) , Jaye Weatherburn (Head of Australasia & Asia-Pacific, DPC) & Gwenda Thomas (Director Scholarly Services, University Librarian)