History and Mission

The core teaching and research missions of Harvard University are increasingly dependent upon digital content. Digital materials are inherently fragile and dependent for their long-range viability on technologies that change continuously. One of the key challenges of the twenty-first century is how to preserve the usefulness of this digital content for future generations of scholars.

In response to these challenges, Harvard Library developed the Digital Repository Service (DRS) in 1999. In 2008, a more formal digital preservation program was established, building on years of digital preservation projects and initiatives conducted at Harvard University. As of 2018, Digital Preservation Services (DPS) was launched as a formal unit within Harvard Library Preservation Services (HLPS).

DPS Team

Service Portfolio

Digital Preservation at Harvard Library supports university-wide libraries, archives, museums and reformatting units. Here are the services provided by the unit: Digital Preservation Services Portfolio.