This blog is authored by Karyn Williamson, Digital Preservation Specialist at the DPC.
Every community has stories worth preserving.
From local history groups and community archives to grassroots cultural organisations and volunteer-led heritage projects, communities around the world are safeguarding records, photographs, oral histories, websites, social media content, and digital collections that document who we are, where we've come from, and what matters to us.
This year's World Digital Preservation Day theme, SOS: Save Our Stories, reminds us why this work is so important. Stories can only be shared if they survive. Yet many of the digital collections held by community archives are vulnerable. Files are stored on ageing devices, managed by small teams of volunteers, or kept using technologies that may become obsolete. Without the knowledge, confidence, and support needed to care for digital materials, valuable community heritage could be lost.
Saving our stories is not simply about technology. It is about ensuring that communities retain ownership of their memories, histories, identities, and experiences, and that future generations can continue to access and learn from them.
That is why the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) is delighted to launch the Global Ambassador Programme.
A Global Network of Support
The Global Ambassador Programme has been created to build a worldwide network of organisations committed to helping community groups care for and preserve their digital heritage.
Across the heritage sector, many archives, libraries, museums, and cultural organisations already work closely with community groups. They understand local needs, have trusted relationships, and are often well placed to offer guidance and encouragement. However, these organisations have told us that they would like to provide more support around digital preservation but lack the confidence, resources, or practical tools to do so effectively.
The Global Ambassador Programme seeks to address that challenge by equipping organisations with resources, guidance, and support that will help them engage with community archives and encourage good digital preservation practice
Rather than creating a centralised service, the programme takes a community-centred approach. It recognises that support is often most effective when it is delivered locally, by trusted organisations that understand the cultural, linguistic, and practical realities of the communities they serve.
Developed Through Collaboration
The programme has been shaped through extensive collaboration with heritage organisations from around the world.
During the pilot phase, participants explored the programme resources, tested materials, and shared feedback on what would be most useful when supporting community archives. Their experience and expertise have helped shape the programme and ensure it is practical, flexible, and relevant to a wide range of cultural and geographic contexts.
This collaborative approach reflects the spirit of the programme itself. Preserving community heritage is not something that can be achieved by a single organisation acting alone. It requires networks, partnerships, shared learning, and a commitment to helping one another succeed.
Why Become a Global Ambassador?
Global Ambassadors play an important role in helping communities preserve the stories that matter to them.
By joining the programme, organisations can:
- Help community groups understand the importance of digital preservation.
- Signpost practical guidance and resources.
- Encourage sustainable approaches to managing digital collections.
- Build confidence and awareness within their local communities.
- Contribute to a growing international network committed to preserving community heritage.
- Help ensure that valuable community stories remain accessible for future generations.
At its heart, the programme is about people helping people. It is about sharing knowledge, building confidence, and creating sustainable support networks that strengthen the resilience of community archives around the world.
Join the Programme
As we celebrate World Digital Preservation Day and reflect on this year's theme, SOS: Save Our Stories, we invite organisations across the archives, libraries, museums, records management, and cultural heritage sectors to become part of the programme in the way that best suits them.
Every preserved digital collection represents stories saved from loss. Every community supported represents new opportunities for heritage to survive and thrive. Every Global Ambassador helps strengthen the network that makes this possible.
To learn more about the Global Ambassador Programme, click here!
To access the resources and find out more about becoming a Global Ambassador, complete the Microsoft Form:
Global Toolkit Ambassador Sign Up Form – Fill in form
Together, we can help communities preserve the records, memories, and digital heritage that tell the story of who they are.
Because if we are to Save Our Stories, we must first save the records that hold them.