The Coordination Office for the Preservation of Written Cultural Heritage (KEK) coordinates and optimises the preservation of original written materials and thus makes a significant contribution to safeguarding the cultural memory of Germany. Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Cultural Foundation of the German Federal States, the KEK aims at permanently preserving the written cultural heritage in German archives, libraries, museums and other memorial institutions. Since its foundation in 2011, the KEK has funded over 1,000 projects from individual restoration to mass deacidification. With the international ‘Preservation in Perspective’ conference, held in 2021 at the James-Simon-Galerie in Berlin, the KEK has opened a forum for international exchange on preservation and the strategies that will determine future action in this field. The papers presented at the conference discussed current developments, synergies with digitisation projects and opportunities for international cooperation. The proceedings summarise the results of the conference as a starting point for an international discourse on the future of preservation.