“IT has identified several challenges and concerns”: Navigating Organizational Disconnects to Champion Digital Preservation

Digital preservation remains an essential practice within cultural heritage institutions; however, it is still a widely opaque concept to many administrators and IT professionals, which makes it difficult to build a business case that adequately justifies the necessary infrastructure to sustain it. At Towson University, gaining support for a digital preservation program requires engaging administration and IT at both the library and campus levels, as well as other colleges and departments across campus. After working on developing a digital preservation workflow for nearly a decade, we had the unique opportunity to hit reset when a digital archivist position was approved in 2025. What we thought would be an easier endeavor due to increased capacity and support from library administration, instead took us on an unexpected 10-month journey during which our purpose was questioned, our expertise was challenged, and our patience was tested. In this presentation, The Director of Distinctive Collections and Digital Scholarship and the Digital Archivist will highlight their successes, challenges, and next steps for navigating relationship and capacity building within the university. The archivists will detail what roles their positions as department administrator and early-career practitioner play in establishing partnerships that empower a digital preservation program.

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