An Update on the Future of Our Cultural Heritage Work
Very soon, DPLA will announce the new home of our cultural heritage program, and so we wanted to take a moment to get you up to speed on our progress.
As a reminder, in recent months, we shared several updates, including the news that DPLA will maintain the cultural heritage aggregation program through 2025. We also have begun planning for DPLAfest 2025, with more details coming soon.
Where We’ve Been: Our Search for a New Home
In the spring, we embarked on a process to identify a new organization to manage our signature digital cultural heritage aggregation work and its member network—a hallmark program that has defined DPLA’s first decade. This effort was an outgrowth of a program assessment that began a year ago, and involved conversations with a wide range of stakeholders, including interviews with industry professionals, internal team members, funding partners, and others invested in our mission. Through these discussions, it became clear that for our work to truly expand and thrive, it needs an institutional home that can support it in a way that our small organization cannot.
At the same time, we began conversations with a cohort of funders to raise a transitional fund. This unique setup enables us to focus specifically on the requirements of our new home, rather than seeking general support. We’ve connected with both familiar funding partners and new ones, all of whom share our vision for the future.
After exploring discussions with more than two dozen candidates, we took a significant step forward in July when our board approved the opening of discussions with one promising partner.
Where We Are: The Path to Transition in 2025
In September’s Network Council meeting, we discussed some initial details about what this transition will look like. We are approaching 2025 as a pivotal year, one that will serve as a bridge to fully establishing ourselves in this new home by 2026. During this transition year, DPLA will continue to host and support our cultural heritage aggregation work, ensuring that our community remains engaged and our programs remain strong.
We are optimistic that this partnership will allow us to expand our services, opening doors to new resources and opportunities. During this time, our Network Council and working groups will continue their essential roles, maintaining the momentum that has brought us to this point. We’re also thrilled to announce that DPLAFest will return for the first time since before the pandemic, offering opportunities for our community to participate in planning and shaping our future together.
Where We’re Going: Anticipating Growth and New Beginnings
We’re on track to make a formal announcement this fall. We’re also making great progress on the funding side, and looking forward to receiving commitments over the coming months.
During this transition time, the upcoming membership year will remain under DPLA’s own purview. The staff have been hard at work on activities important to our mission—such as overhauling the Wikimedia pipeline’s codebase and onboarding our two new hubs—and continue to be on call for any partner needs. And we continue to hold regular DPLA Network office hours every second Tuesday (upcoming on Nov. 12 and Dec. 10)—simply join our Zoom room at bit.ly/dpla-network to stay in touch.
We are eager to share the official news and even more excited to dive into what lies ahead. This transition represents not just growth, but a new chapter filled with possibilities for expanding our impact and creating deeper connections across communities. Thank you for your patience and support as we work toward this vision. We look forward to the new year, and to the future we’ll build together.
We invite members of our Network Council to join our next meeting on Thursday, Dec. 5 for further updates—please contact us if you need an invite.