Library of Congress

Digital Preservation

The Library of Congress > Digital Preservation > About

What is Digital Preservation?

Digital preservation is the active management of digital content over time to ensure ongoing access.

The National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program is implementing a national strategy to collect, preserve and make available significant digital content, especially information that is created in digital form only, for current and future generations.

About this website

This site presents information about NDIIPP partners and initiatives, along with details about digital preservation standards and best practices, tools and services and education and training. There is also a substantial section on personal digital archiving that focuses on tips and guidance for how individuals and families can preserve their digital memories.

NDIIPP also maintains strong social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and iTunesU.

NDIIPP in Brief

NDIIPP is based on an understanding that digital stewardship on a national scale depends on public and private communities working together. The program has engaged hundreds of organizations partners across the United States and around the world to preserve at-risk digital collections and build a distributed digital preservation infrastructure. This work is carried out through a variety of initiatives. A major current initiative is the National Digital Stewardship Alliance, which works to bring a broad array of organizations, both public and private, into partnership with the Library to support digital preservation.

Congress directed the Library to undertake NDIIPP in 2000. Details about the origin and history of the program is available here.