Digital Commonwealth, Inc. |
Digital Commonwealth, Inc. Update to Membership[2026] We, the board of Digital Commonwealth, Inc. (DCI) are writing to update you about the following:
In March 2025, DCI voted to go fallow, meaning we ceased all active programming and membership dues, while focusing on assessing the future of DCI. The fallow period started in June 2025 and lasted the rest of the calendar year. During this period, the Executive Slate has exercised utmost care to ensure the viability of the organization. Unnecessary costs have been trimmed, regular meetings held, and efforts to keep board members engaged and invested remain a key goal. In December 2025, after months of intense introspection and discussion, the board voted to enter into negotiations with the Boston Public Library with the goal of writing a new Memorandum of Understanding for a reenvisioned partnership. Those discussions have begun and remain ongoing. We will not collect membership fees in FY 27. The structure and purpose of fees is among the topics under review. We will provide a final update in early 2027. Many of these action items are happening ‘behind the scenes,’ however, we continue to need your regular engagement and feedback! At the Annual July meeting of the Council of Members, we will present a FY 27 Plan of Service and budget for the coming year, as well as vote in new members of the Executive Committee. Please attend this meeting and participate, so that we can continue to keep the DCI running smoothly as the organization evolves. Sincerely, Board of Digital Commonwealth, Inc. (DCI)
Digital Commonwealth, Inc. Statement to Membership[2025] Dear Membership, On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Digital Commonwealth, Inc., we want to acknowledge the recent statement released by the Boston Public Library regarding our partnership. On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, the Board of the Digital Commonwealth, Inc., voted to go fallow for six (6) months effective July 1, 2025. A group of cultural heritage professionals, with current and past affiliations to the Digital Commonwealth, Inc., will spend this time investigating and conceiving a potential future for the Digital Commonwealth, Inc. The Board will officially reconvene in December 2025 to discuss the group’s outcomes. All membership dues are immediately paused. During the period of March 2025 to June 30, 2025, the Board will continue to support existing Digital Commonwealth, Inc., activities as appropriate to the forthcoming fallow period. As such, we will hold Board Meetings in April, May, and June, during which we will begin discussing the organization's future. The Digital Commonwealth, Inc., officially dates to when it received its non-profit designation in 2014. However, its work, partnerships, and mission started in 2004 when several Massachusetts cultural heritage professionals met to conceive a manner in which Massachusetts institutions could share their cultural heritage digitally. This was the birth of the ‘Digital Commonwealth.’ We say this as a reminder that while it might not always have been explicitly clear to those on the outside, the Board of the Digital Commonwealth, Inc., has always worked towards that purpose: to represent the cultural heritage institutions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and advocate for their digital needs. This is especially true now, more than ever. With this mission in mind, a desire to remain committed to our original purpose, and the acknowledgement that the digital landscape has changed in ways no one could have possibly anticipated, we recognize that we can no longer continue our partnership with the Boston Public Library. At this time, we are unable to provide you with more details on the future of the Digital Commonwealth, Inc. We do want to assure you that we remain committed to our purpose, that there is a plan in place, and we will provide more information as our plans coalesce. We invite all of you to attend our remaining Board Meetings and the meeting in December to officially discuss the next steps. Should you have any questions or want to participate in the future of Digital Commonwealth, Inc. please email dctransitioncommittee@gmail.com. As a reminder, it is not now, nor has it ever been, a requirement to be a member of the Digital Commonwealth, Inc., to participate in the Statewide Digitization Project. Effective immediately, please direct all inquiries related to the Digitalcommonwealth.org Repository and any materials hosted therein to the Boston Public Library (digitalcommonwealth@bpl.org). Thank you, Digital Commonwealth Team |
