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Nominate at-risk digital materials now!
The Global Bit List of Endangered Digital Species is open for nominations of at-risk material from the digital preservation community. While the DPC welcomes nominations at any time, this current call will close on Friday 30th June.
NOMINATE AT-RISK DIGITAL MATERIALS
If you are unable to access the Google form to nominate your at-risk digital materials or you would like to prepare your information in advance,
please download and complete the Excel version of the form.
Completed Excel forms may be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
What is the Bit List?
A free-to-access and open resource for digital preservation advocacy, the DPC's Global Bit List of Endangered Digital Species (or Bit List for short) is a community-sourced list of at-risk digital materials which is revised every two years. Entries to the list are nominated by the community, who are at the forefront of digital preservation efforts, and reviewed by international organizations which represent global expertise in the preservation of the listed digital species.
By compiling and maintaining the Bit List, the DPC aims to equip digital preservation practitioners with independent evidence that digital materials are critically endangered, and that action is required, in order to support their targeted advocacy efforts.
Read the Interim Bit List Report 2022
Risk Classifications
Current entries were last nominated to the Bit List in 2021. Entries are grouped by risk ‘classification’ and digital ‘species.’ Click on each of the risk classifications to see the entries for each category, browse the Bit List by digital species and click each entry for the full report.
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LOWER RISK
Digital materials are listed as Lower Risk when it does not meet the requirements for other categories but where there is a distinct preservation requirement. Failure or removal of the preservation function would result in re-classification to one of the threatened categories.
There are no entries classified as Lower Risk in this edition of the BitList.
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VULNERABLE
Digital materials are listed as Vulnerable when the technical challenges to preservation are modest but responsibility for care is poorly understood, or where the responsible agencies are not meeting preservation needs. This classification includes Lower Risk materials in the presence of aggravating conditions.
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ENDANGERED
Digital materials are listed Endangered when they face material technical challenges to preservation or responsibility for care is poorly understood, or where the responsible agencies are poorly equipped to meet preservation needs. This classification includes Vulnerable materials in the presence of aggravating conditions.
3D Digital Engineering Drawings
Born Digital Photographs and Video shared via Social Media or Uploaded to Cloud Services
Cloud-based Services and Communications Platforms
Completed investigations based on open source intelligence sources
Content on cloud video services produced by the service provider
Contractual Documents and Related Records
Corporate Records of Long Duration on Network Drives,
Intranets and EDRMSCurrent Portable Magnetic Media
Current Portable Optical Media
Current Portable Solid-State Media
Digital music and ephemera shared on social media
Digital recordings published via cloud-based music sharing platforms
Digitally published sheet music
Electronic hospital and medical records
Master Digital Music and Sound Recordings
Pre-Production TV and Movie Materials
Published research data appended to journal articles
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CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
Digital materials are listed Critically Endangered when they face material technical challenges to preservation, there are no agencies responsible for them or those agencies are unwilling or unable to meet preservation needs. This classification includes Endangered materials in the presence of aggravating conditions.
Community generated content in arts and heritage
Consumer social media free at the point of use
Correspondence and records of research
Data posted to defunct or little-used social media platforms
Digital Archives from Public Enquiries and Commissions
Digital archives of community groups
Digital Archives of music production
Digital Evidence and records of investigation prior to court
Legacy research web collections
Massively Multiple Online Gaming Platforms and Experiences
Media Art by deceased artists or defunct workshops
Non-current Hard Disk Technologies
Non-current Portable Magnetic Media
Non-current Portable Optical Media
Non-current Portable Solid State Media
Old or non-current offline video games
Old or non-current video games
Open source intelligence sources of current conflicts
Pre-WWW ViewData and Teletext Services where no Archival Agency has Captured and Retained the Signal
Records of Non-Governmental Agencies
Records of Quasi Non-Governmental Agencies
Supporting Digital Materials for Museums and Galleries
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PRACTICALLY
EXTINCT
Digital materials are listed as Practically Extinct when the few known examples are inaccessible by most practical means and methods. This classification includes Critically Endangered materials in the presence of aggravating conditions.
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CONCERN
Digital materials are listed as of Concern when an active member of the digital preservation community has expressed a legitimate concern but the concern has not yet been assessed by the BitList jury. They will be assessed for inclusion in the subsequent year.
There are no entries classified as Of Concern in this edition of the BitList.
Digital Species
Species Categories
Access previous versions of and introductions to the Bit List, now superceded:
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Introduction to the Bit List of Digitally Endangered Species 2021
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