# Stephen Abrams receives NDSA Excellence Award December 04, 2023 Dr. Stephen Abrams, Head of Digital Preservation Services at Harvard Library, is the recipient of the [2023 NDSA Excellence Award](https://www.diglib.org/announcing-the-2023-ndsa-excellence-award-winners/) for Individual achievement. The Individual award is given to those that significantly impact the digital preservation community, through their advancements in theory and/or practice, and it was presented to Stephen at the annual NDSA Digital Preservation conference on November 15th in St. Louis, Missouri. ![Headshot of white male with glasses smiling at camera](/sites/g/files/omnuum11066/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/library-preservation/files/abrams-photo.jpg?itok=7iUtfaca) Dr. Stephen Abrams, Head of Digital Preservation Services, Harvard Library Stephen’s contributions to the field have been prolific since the 1990s, when the concept of digital stewardship was still in its nascency. After joining Harvard Library for the first time in 1999, he helped architect the initial Digital Repository Service (DRS), one of the first in-production digital preservation repositories. He was also instrumental in designing tools and standards that have persisted as cornerstones for practitioners, such as the archival PDF format [PDF/A](https://pdfa.org/resource/iso-19005-pdfa/) and the file format characterization tool [JHOVE](https://jhove.openpreservation.org/). As one of the first scholars engaging with these critical concerns, Stephen was recognized by the Library of Congress as a [“Digital Preservation Pioneer.”](https://www.digitalpreservation.gov/series/pioneers/index.html) Stephen departed Massachusetts for California in 2008, for the California Digital Library and the University of California Curation Center, where he continued leading innovative projects. He cultivated the [JHOVE2](https://www.digitalpreservation.gov/partners/jhove2.html) project as well as [Cobweb](https://cdlib.org/services/pad/webarchiving/cobweb/), a collaborative web archiving registry. His focus on community approaches to solutions has been a leading principle in all Stephen’s endeavors. Since returning to Harvard Library as the inaugural Head of Digital Preservation in 2018, he has prioritized coalition building, transparency, and community efforts. He collaborated with Library Technology Services to secure grant-funding for a generational software update for the DRS and consistently advocated for external sharing of the project deliverables for the advancement of the broader digital preservation field. The NDSA award committee noted, “Stephen possesses creative thinking and diplomacy skills which have been key in forging alliances across organizations, such as the PDF Association, the Digital Preservation Coalition and others.” Stephen has also contributed substantially to the theoretical evolution of digital stewardship. A natural academic with a penchant for intersectional scholarship, Abrams was originally trained in mathematics and worked as an engineer before pivoting towards digital preservation. In 2007 he earned an ALM in the History of Art and Architecture from Harvard University. Continuing his studies, he recently completed his PhD in Information Science. Merging knowledge bases across studies, he has [published and presented influential work](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2326-6672) on measuring preservation success, formats, copyright, storage architectures, and more. NDSA Awards are given across six categories: Future Stewards, Educators, Individuals, Organizations, Projects, and Sustainability Activities. **Read more about Stephen’s accomplishments and impact on [the NDSA Excellence Awards page](https://ndsa.org//2023/11/16/announcing-the-2023-ndsa-excellence-award-winners.html)**, where you can also see a list of the winners in other categories, past and present. Harvard Library has been fortunate to have Stephen in its ranks twice now throughout his illustrious career. Congratulations, Stephen! See also:- [ Digital Preservation ](/hlps-tags/digital-preservation) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)