As this message goes live at 8pm UK time, the new day is already well underway in Kiribati - one of the first places on the planet to greet the sunrise - and just behind them, Aotearoa New Zealand is waking up too. And with so many of our digital preservation friends gathered there for the iPRES 2025 conference, it feels like the perfect place to kick off World Digital Preservation Day 2025!
From those first rays of daylight in the Pacific, WDPD2025 is officially rolling...
This year’s theme, Why Preserve?, invites all of us to reflect on our motivations for preserving unique digital collections, on the risks when we don’t act, and to share our stories. It is a moment to celebrate the work of our global community, to raise awareness of digital preservation, and to spotlight the stories and people working to safeguard our digital future.
Dive into our opening blog of World Digital Preservation Day 2025 where William Kilbride, Executive Director of the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC), traces the history of the Day and reflects on why this global moment of awareness remains so important.
Gear up for a full day of celebrations. Expect blog posts, vlogs, events, activities, online conversations, local gatherings, and a whole lot of digital preservation joy from DPC Members and the wider digital preservation community across the globe.
Later today, during the closing ceremony of iPRES 2025 in Wellington, WDPD2025 will be officially opened. With so many community members already together in Aotearoa, it is a perfect bridge between the conference and the global celebration that follows. At that moment, the DPC will also launch the Why Preserve? campaign, featuring stories and reflections from digital preservation practitioners around the world. So, stay tuned for more!
Throughout the day, you can look forward to:
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A steady stream of blogs and vlogs from across the community
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A new version of the Global Bit List of Endangered Digital Species
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Fresh translations of DPC resources
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And a few extra surprises along the way
In short: we are ready for a day filled with fun, creativity, digipres conversations and community. A day to celebrate everything digital preservation!
“World Digital Preservation Day focuses attention on digital preservation, giving us a chance to share why it matters and why our community cares so deeply," says Angela Puggioni, Community Engagement Manager at the Digital Preservation Coalition. "It’s inspiring to see the global community gather today to celebrate, reflect, and champion digital preservation.”
World Digital Preservation Day is organized by the DPC and supported by digital preservation networks around the globe. The Day is open to participation from anyone interested in securing our digital legacy - across all sectors and geographic locations.
We can’t wait to celebrate with you! Join in and follow along using #WDPD2025 and #WhyPreserve on LinkedIn, digipres.club on Mastodon and on Bluesky, and let´s make this WDPD one to remember!
Happy World Digital Preservation Day!