This poster highlights my efforts to introduce and advocate for digital preservation at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a mid-sized public University in the initial stages of developing a sustainable, scalable digital archives program that is built with long term preservation in mind. I focus on lessons learned, providing realistic advice to other individuals working with limited resources who are in the beginning stages of advocating for digital preservation at their institution. The poster also touches on the challenges of building a sustainable program from scratch while in a short-term position, and offers practical solutions for long term preservation that do not rely on specialized technical knowledge.