Creative University Students Produce Inspirational PSA About Value of Preserving Personal Heritage

WSU NDSA Chapter Members Aubrey Maynard & Laura Gentry at recent DP12 Poster Session
E-Z Photo Scan. “NDSA Student Showcase.” 2012-Jul-25.

The future looks bright for digital preservation!   Why?
Well, quite simply all you have to do is turn to a group of ambitious students, like the ones from Wayne State University's School of Library and Information Science.

This group came together in January 2012, to become the very first National Digital Stewardship Alliance Student Organzation. Together, WSU NDSA students are taking up the work of helping to establish, maintain, and advance the capacity to preserve our nation's digital resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

Our future’s best looking after our past. Now, if that isn't a sign of good things to come!

Student Organization History
The WSU NDSA Student Organization is based out of Wayne State University’s School of Library and Information Science in Detroit, Michigan. The group’s faculty advisor is Kimberly Schroeder, who is a member of the National Digital Stewardship Alliance, and initiative of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. Under Kim’s advisement, the WSU NDSA Student Organization has created an in-person and virtual meeting allowing access to the groups activities both on-campus and to those participating through the University’s on-line extended learning program.

Staying Connected!
Being a part of today’s culture means being connected and the WSU NDSA Student Organization is definitely engaged in community. They have  a blog, a research resources site, and have carved out space on Facebook especially for them.

The organization has also sought out experts in digital preservation and have visited institutions such as the Detroit Institute of Arts and HathiTrust. This past July, members from WSU NDSA Student Organization traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the 2012 NDIIPP/NDSA Partners Meeting (DP12) where hundreds of experts gathered from libraries, archives, museums, government agencies, businesses and other entities interested in enduring access to digital information.

Reaching Out...A Kickstarter!
Part of the reason for the group's attendance at DP12 was to showcase their recent production of a public service announcement video designed to direct viewers to learn more about the topic of digital preservation by visiting the Library of Congress’ Digital Preservation website. The 90 second video tells a multi-generational family story and has a strong visual appeal. It highlights the problem of newer images that exist only in digit format.

To learn more, download a copy of the DP12 Poster Session handout; Preserving Your Past: Creating a Public Service Announcement Video on Digital Preservation, WSU NDSA Student Organization.

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Digital Directions is sponsored by E-Z Photo Scan where making digital preservation easy is our mission. Visit E-Z Photo Scan to learn more about the possibilities for achieving your digital preservation goals. E-Z Photo Scan is also part of the National Digital Stewardship Alliance and member of its Outreach Working Group.