Getting Involved: Our Expanding Community Reps Program

By DPLA, February 3, 2015.
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There are so many ways to get involved with the Digital Public Library of America, each of which contributes enormously to our mission of connecting people with our shared cultural heritage. Obviously we have our crucial hubs and institutional partners, who work closely with us to bring their content to the world. If you’re a software developer, you can build upon our code, write your own, and create apps that help to spread that content far and wide. And if you want to provide financial support, that’s easy too.

But I’m often asked about more general ways that one can advance DPLA’s goals, especially in your local community, and perhaps if you’re not necessarily a librarian, archivist, museum professional, or technologist.

Our Community Reps program exists precisely for that reason. DPLA staff and partners can only get the word out so far each year, and we need people from all walks of life who appreciate what we do to step forward and act as our representatives across the county and around the globe. We currently have another round of applications, and I ask you to strongly consider joining the program.

Two hundred people, from all 50 states and from five foreign countries have already done so. They orchestrate public meetings, hold special events, go into classrooms, host hackathons, and use their creativity and voices to let others know about DPLA and what everyone can do with it. I know this first-hand through my interactions with Reps in virtual meetings, on our special Reps email list, and from meeting many in person as I travel across the country. Reps are a critical part of the DPLA family, who often have innovative ideas that make a huge difference to our efforts.

We’re incredibly fortunate to have so many like-minded and energetic people join us and the expanding DPLA community through the Reps program. It’s a great chance to be a part of our mission. Apply today!