NDSA has announced the release of version 2.1 of the NDSA Levels of Digital Preservation, introducing environmental sustainability considerations into the Levels recommendations and supporting resources.
The main addition in version 2.1 is a new Environmental Sustainability Guide, a supplemental resource intended to help organizations embed environmental sustainability into digital preservation decision-making when using the Levels to assess and shape their preservation strategy. The guide introduces core concepts relevant across digital preservation practice, alongside sustainability decision points linked to the Storage, Integrity, and Content functional areas of the Levels matrix.
Other updates in version 2.1 include:
-
leaf icons added to the Levels matrix to highlight environmental sustainability decision points
-
minor revisions to the text of Storage Level 1 and Level 4 and Metadata Level 1 and Level 2
-
significant updates to the Working Definitions of Terms, based on community feedback and new terminology introduced through the Environmental Sustainability Guide
-
minor updates to the Implementation Guidelines, Assessment Tool, and Digital Curation Decision Guide to include environmental sustainability considerations and to emphasize that Level 4 need not be the goal for all organizations in all Functional Areas.
The NDSA notes that these revisions are not yet reflected in the translated versions of the Levels. Existing translations and supporting resources remain available via the Levels of Digital Preservation page.
The work was led by the NDSA Levels of Digital Preservation Working Group and supported by the Levels of Digital Preservation Steering Group and the Communications and Publications Working Group, with contributions from across the community.
The DPC welcomes the release of this new version and the important work undertaken by the NDSA Levels of Digital Preservation Working Group to bring environmental sustainability more explicitly into digital preservation planning and practice.
Jenny Mitcham, DPC's Head of Digital Preservation and co-chair of the NDSA Levels of Digital Preservation Steering Group from 2022 to 2026, said:
“Thank you to Keith Pendergrass and Elizabeth La Beaud for leading this work and to all members of the NDSA Levels Working Group and Steering Group for their hard work, input and guidance. I am so pleased to see this important work on environmental sustainability released to the community today and hope it will help ensure that environmental sustainability is a consideration in future digital preservation decision making.”
NDSA has also thanked all those who contributed to the revision process, including participants in open office sessions, public comment, and discussions at community events in 2023 and 2025. Anyone with questions about the Levels, or who is interested in translating any of the version 2.1 outputs, is invited to contact the Steering Group via the feedback form.