Holly Duncan is the account executive for Preferred Media and DPC Supporter
This World Digital Preservation Day, we’re reflecting on two questions: “Why preserve?” and “Who benefits?”
The answer is simple: everyone does. From cultural institutions protecting centuries of heritage, to brands rediscovering the power of their archives, to future technologies learning who we are — preservation is no longer just about storing files. It’s about shaping identity, protecting truth, and creating pathways for innovation.
At Preferred Media, we see this every day. So, to explore the “why,” let’s meet two very different perspectives: Margot, a traditional archivist, and Eli, a futurist working at the intersection of ethics and artificial intelligence.
Meet Margot
Margot has spent three decades caring for archives in galleries, libraries, and museums. Her work is hands-on and heart-driven: cataloguing manuscripts, digitising fragile photographs, and guiding researchers through forgotten collections.
For her, preservation is a cultural responsibility.
“Every archive is a promise,” Margot says. “A promise that we won’t forget who we were, how we lived, and what we valued.”
To Margot, archives are society’s collective memory. They connect generations, protect truth against misinformation, and provide the stories that shape our shared identity. Without them, she warns, we don’t just lose data — we lose meaning.
She sees preservation bringing value in countless ways: sustaining cultural traditions, underpinning justice and transparency, supporting education, sparking creativity, and strengthening community identity. In times of crisis, preserved archives even help societies rebuild.
Then there’s Eli
Eli works in a tech lab, helping build ethical frameworks for artificial intelligence. He’s not an archivist by training, but has become one by necessity.
“AI learns from us,” Eli explains. “And what it learns depends on what we preserve.”
For Eli, archives aren’t just about memory — they’re a compass. They provide AI with context, diversity, and nuance, which are essential for creating technology that reflects humanity rather than distorting it.
From mitigating bias to fuelling innovation, Eli sees preservation as critical for guiding responsible technology. If we want AI to serve humanity, he argues, we must teach it who we are — and that begins with what we choose to safeguard today.
Preservation as a Compass
Margot and Eli may work in different worlds, but they agree on one truth: archives matter. They preserve identity, protect legacy, and guide the future.
For cultural institutions, preservation protects the threads of history that connect us across time. For brands, it safeguards legacy assets and unlocks new creative possibilities. And for society at large, it provides a compass — helping us navigate truth, innovation, and responsibility in an ever-changing world.
This World Digital Preservation Day, we invite you to reflect:
What stories do you want to endure?
What memories or assets do you want to protect?
What legacy do you want to leave — not just for people, but for the technologies shaping tomorrow?
Preserve them. Celebrate them. Share them.
Because every story deserves a future — and a direction.