Join the NDSA!

Ready to join the NDSA? Please submit a brief membership application (PDF preview). More information about the Membership application process is shared below.

Membership Information

NDSA member organizations are committed to long-term digital stewardship. Individuals from member organizations share expertise, tools, and practices to benefit local efforts while contributing to the stewardship of a growing collective collection of diverse digital content. Our members collaborate in many ways that benefit the digital preservation community and their organizations. NDSA depends on members contributing their efforts in a variety of ways such as participation in our Interest and Working Groups, in order to develop, expand, and share their knowledge and expertise. Learn more about the NDSA.

There are no fees or dues for membership in the NDSA, but members are expected to be engaged and contribute to and participate in NDSA initiatives.

Membership Eligibility

• Members may be any type of organization or consortia.
  • Departments of larger organizations are welcome to apply.
    • EX: A University Library, rather than the entire University
    • EX: A State Archives, housed within a State Historical Society
  • Service providers (nonprofit or for-profit) that support digital preservation activities and who share our core values may be NDSA members.
    • They are expected to follow the listed membership commitments.
    • They may NOT use NDSA events, projects, or publications as marketing opportunities with the exception of open calls for sponsorship (e.g. at the annual conference).
• Members will have demonstrated an active commitment to digital preservation.
• Members will share the stated values of the NDSA.
• Although organizational membership is strongly preferred, in some rare instances individuals may need to participate in NDSA activities outside of an organizational membership, in which case becoming an Affiliate Member is an option. Please contact the Coordinating Committee Chair (ndsa at diglib dot org) if you are interested in becoming an Affiliate Member.

Membership Commitment

Each member organization is required to identify and provide one or more representatives to participate in NDSA activities. Multiple representatives are encouraged.

Representatives from NDSA member organizations agree to:

• Serve on one or more Interest and Working Groups.
• Participate in the surveys NDSA conducts of its membership.
• Review drafts of NDSA publications and provide feedback as requested.
• Assist with dissemination of NDSA news as requested.
• Follow the DLF Code of Conduct.

Representatives may further contribute by:

• Volunteering or presenting at NDSA’s annual conference.
• Delivering presentations and posters at conferences and workshops on behalf of the NDSA.
• Sharing knowledge about digital preservation practices by contributing content to the NDSA blog and social media feeds.
• Nominating representative(s) for the Coordinating Committee annual election.

Voting (done by the authorized signatory representative only)

• When votes are called for, each member organization has a single vote.
• Voting occurs for the annual Coordinating Committee election but may also be requested for other organizational and governance matters affecting the NDSA.

Benefits of Membership

Participants from member organizations share in the advantages of the NDSA, including:

• Learning about and contributing to digital preservation practices through community knowledge-sharing with active practitioners.
• Having decision-making power at the Working Group and Interest Group level, e.g., deciding on work plans and work products.
• Participating and shaping NDSA initiatives, such as the Levels of Preservation and the NDSA Agenda.
• Taking part in outreach and advocacy to build public awareness around digital preservation.
• Partnering with major organizations, including premier cultural heritage institutions and nonprofit organizations.
• Help develop community based, durable solutions to a dynamically changing preservation landscape.

Join the NDSA

Ready to become an NDSA member? Please submit a brief application on behalf of your organization.

Membership Application Process

NDSA membership applications are reviewed quarterly using the following process:

1. Prospective members submit an application through the online form.
2. The Vice Chair of the Coordinating Committee (CC) sends an email to the contacts listed in the application confirming receipt of application.
3. Applications are reviewed by the Coordinating Committee during a quarterly membership application review call. Any objections/concerns are discussed and applicants may be contacted if additional information is needed. If necessary, CC members conduct a vote.
   • If approved, the CC Vice Chair
     • sends a formal welcome to the applicant. Appropriate Interest Group (IG) and Working Group (WG) chairs are cc-ed so that they may welcome new members and add them to IG and WG lists/meeting invites;
     • adds new representatives to NDSA-ALL and new IG and WG members to the relevant mailing lists;
     • works with the Communications and Publications Working Group to
       • update the member list/map,
       • announce new members on NDSA-ALL and the NDSA News blog,
       • announce new members on social media.
   • If not approved, the CC Vice Chair sends a formal notice to the applicant stating the reasons why membership was not approved.

Membership Contacts

NDSA defines the following type of membership contacts. The membership application will ask for both a program representative and an authorized signatory.

Program representatives: Your Program Representative is the main contact for your organization’s participation in the NDSA. Responsibilities may be shared among colleagues (for example, to serve as interest group representatives or respond to NDSA surveys), but this person functions as our main, working contact with your organization.

Authorized Signatory: This person is empowered to agree to membership on behalf of your organization, and is in a position to commit time of the organization’s employees for participation in NDSA interest groups. This person will be copied on application communications.

Other Contacts: Other contacts can be added if responsibilities for voting and responding to other official NDSA Leadership inquiries will fall to someone outside of the program representative or authorized signatory. These contacts also act as backup contacts for the organization if the others leave without updating the records.

Updating Membership Contacts

If you need to update your member contacts, you can complete the Membership Contact Update Form (PDF Preview). More information can be found on the Update Your NDSA Contacts section of the Membership Orientation page.