UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — World Digital Preservation Day, held annually on the first Thursday of November, celebrates best practices in archiving and storing digitized and born-digital content. Penn State University Libraries is hosting several virtual and University Park in-person events Thursday, Nov. 2.

A detailed schedule is available online. Events are listed in Eastern Time. Participants are encouraged to register online, especially those interested in bringing a physical item to the afternoon’s self-digitization session for consultation or on-site digitization.

Webinar: WDPD 2023 Opening Session 

• 9–10:30 a.m.; virtual (Zoom)

The kickoff event of WDPD 2023 at Penn State features two guest speakers:

• Shelly Black, digital archivist at North Carolina State University Libraries, will share insights on creating a secure virtual reading room for remote researchers using desktop virtualization in her presentation “Deploying a Secure Virtual Reading Room.”

• Alex Kinnaman, digital preservation coordinator, and Alan Munshower, digital collections archivist at Virginia Tech University Libraries, will discuss their journey in developing environmentally sustainable digital curation practices in their presentation “Green Goes with Anything: First Steps for Environmentally Sustainable Digital Libraries.”

Game: Digital Preservation Jeopardy  

Two sessions:

• 11–11:30 a.m., virtual (Zoom)
• 11:30 a.m.–noon, Dewey Room inside the Collaboration Commons, ground floor Pattee Library

Engage in a fun game of Digital Preservation Jeopardy and test your knowledge about digital preservation best practices, formats and challenges.

Information Mini-Sessions: Digitization and Digital Curation

1–2:30 p.m., virtual (Zoom) and in person

This event delves into the world of digitization and digital curation at Penn State University Libraries. Structured into four mini-sessions, each offers valuable insights into our practices. More details about the mini sessions are listed in the full schedule.

• Self-Digitization, Bethann Rea and Sarah Bildner
• Special Collections Library: A/V Lab, Tim Babcock;
• Overview of Secure Enclave for Digital Collection, Nathan Tallman
• Special Collections Library: Born Digital Accessioning/Processing, Kevin Clair

Resource Session: Dive Deeper into Digital Preservation

3–4 p.m., virtual (Zoom) and in person

This session will enable participants to discover additional materials, courses and tools available for those who want to expand their knowledge of digital preservation. This session will conclude with an “Ask Me Anything” panel including:

• Kevin Clair, digital collections librarian/archivist: digital archives, born digital materials
• Bethann Rea, Digital collections management librarian: digitization, digital collections, rights management
• Tim Babcock, library services specialist: A/V digitization, oral histories
• Nathan Tallman, digital preservation librarian: digital preservation

Penn State Altoona Watch Party

The Robert E. Eiche Library at Penn State Altoona will host a live-streamed watch party of all the day’s virtual sessions in room 202. The watch party is open to the public, no registration required.

More information

For more information about World Digital Preservation Day at Penn State, please contact Nathan Tallman at ntt7@psu.edu or call 814-865-0860. Penn State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Tallman at least three days prior to the start of the program to allow time to meet access needs.