The DPC's 'Bit List' of Digitally Endangered Species is a crowd-sourcing exercise to discover which digital materials our community thinks are most at risk, as well as those which are relatively safe thanks to digital preservation. By compiling and maintaining this list over the coming years, the DPC aims to celebrate great digital preservation endeavors as entries become less of a ‘concern,’ whilst still highlighting the need for efforts to safeguard those still considered ‘critically endangered.’
A new edition of the Bit List will be published on World Digital Preservation Day, 7th November 2019.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Listen to William Kilbride talking to the BBC Click programme about the Bit List