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Dear NDSA Member:

Over four years, the Library of Congress has assumed a leadership role in developing the National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA) to its current level of maturity as an active, vital, and internationally respected organization in the digital preservation community.  The Library of Congress and the NDSA Coordinating Committee now are working together to take the NDSA  to its next level of maturity, which will involve transitioning responsibility for the Secretariat function, membership management, and other NDSA-related organizational support to another institution.

The essence of the NDSA, its mission and organizational structure as described on the "About the NDSA<http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/ndsa/about.html>" web page will remain largely unchanged.  However, there will be new opportunities available to staff from all NDSA member organizations to step up and play leadership roles with working groups, the Coordinating Committee, and other teams.  Organized as an alliance of peer organizations, the NDSA will continue to become stronger and more flexible through the contributions of member organizations.

The Library has provided significant technical, financial, and staff support during the organizing years, and the NDSA has benefitted tremendously.  The NDSA has likewise been enriched by the active involvement of the NDSA member organizations, whose energy and commitment have made the NDSA the productive and respected organization it has become.  With the members' sustained energy and commitment, the NDSA will remain the valuable resource on which we have all come to rely.

The NDSA will be seeking another organization to serve as the administrative host of the NDSA organization.  The next major milestone in the transition period will be the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) describing the NDSA's vision, goals and needs for support going forward.  A draft is attached for your comments.  We expect to disseminate the RFP on May 1 and to announce a new host by early August.  We hope and expect to receive thoughtful comments on the draft from many of you who value the NDSA and want to take part in planning its future.  Please forward your comments or suggested edits to Micah Altman, Chair of the Coordinating Committee ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>) by April 27.  After that, we will release the RFP inviting interested organizations to contact us with their ideas for how they might contribute to the NDSA.

The Library of Congress will continue in its role as Secretariat through September 30, 2015.  All existing member agreements between members and the Library of Congress are hereby terminated effective September 30, 2015, in anticipation of the new Secretariat establishing new membership agreements/arrangements. The schedules, staffing, and agendas for the working groups will remain unchanged through the transition. To allow time for coordination with the new Secretariat, the annual Digital Preservation meeting that usually occurs in July will be rescheduled, probably for later in 2016.

The NDSA Coordinating Committee is committed to keeping the membership informed as discussions about plans for the next phase progress.  Micah Altman, Chair of the Coordinating Committee ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>), invites your comments and questions about this process.

Sincerely,

Micah Altman
Chair, NDSA Coordinating Committee
[cid:[log in to unmask]]

David Mao
Deputy Librarian of Congress
[cid:[log in to unmask]]