Towards a new fund and home for America’s digital heritage

I am writing to share with you some exciting news. As many of you know, we recently conducted a review of our hallmark program, the aggregation and sharing of nearly 50 million images and files from over 6,000 libraries and archives across the U.S. We are taking two conclusions from that process. First, we have affirmed our belief that our collaborative efforts to collect and share the nation’s digitized items are making a real impact through our curated collections, work with the Wikimedia Commons and our professional working groups. Second, in order for that work to expand and flourish, it needs an institutional home beyond that which a small organization like DPLA can provide.

As a result, I’m excited to share that next month we are launching a search to select a vibrant and durable home for this extraordinary resource. This new home will expand the availability of the nation’s memories for the long-term good of all our communities, leading to increased use of our collections and a greater array of partnerships. The core operations of this work will be supported by a multi-million dollar fund that we are in the process of raising.

We will be looking for several key qualities in potential candidates, including the ability to support and sustain the project into the future, a commitment to values of equity and inclusion, experience with collaborative projects, and proficiency in working with large-scale digital infrastructure.

Starting in April, we will seek initial expressions of interest, with full applications from select candidates due in May. Our goal is to select a winner by July and to launch the project in its new home in early 2025. In evaluating proposals, we will be guided by a steering committee composed of field leaders and DPLA board members. DPLA will continue to oversee this work until the transition is complete.

We will provide details in the coming days. Dominic Byrd-McDevitt, our Director of Community Engagement, will be holding office hours in April to answer questions about becoming a candidate, the transition process, or our work in general — you can schedule with him here, or you can reach out to either of us at dominic@dp.la or bracken@dp.la. And, I invite you to join our next DPLA Open Board + Community meeting on April 22nd at 2 pm ET. 

Thank you as ever for your support, and I look forward to working with you on our ongoing efforts to ensure access and information for all. 

Yours sincerely,

John

PS – DPLA will present in Columbus next week for PLA, with two panels on Thursday, April 4. We are part of Unbannable: How Libraries Are Ensuring Access to Banned Books in GCCC Short North AB At 1015a; and The Sum of All Knowledge: Public Libraries, Digital Public Library of America, and Wikimedia at 2pm in GCCC A120-125.