[edit] What is the LOCKSS Program
The LOCKSS Program (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) is an international initiative that provides libraries with the tools and support for easy and sustainable preservation of today's web-published materials for tomorrow's readers.
Librarians need to know that the digital content they acquire today will not disappear when they cancel subscriptions, and that their electronic collections can be preserved and accessed by readers far into the future. Publishers need to know that the integrity of their web-based content will remain unchanged and available in perpetuity -- even if its own web sites are no longer available. The LOCKSS Program was formed in response to these needs and concerns.
[edit] Why Publishers Should Join LOCKSS
- Free!
Publishers pay no fee to join the LOCKSS Program. Approximately 400 publishers have already joined.
- Cost-effective for libraries
Membership in LOCKSS is inexpensive for libraries and requires minimal effort to set-up.
- Preservation invisible to readers
LOCKSS does not re-distribute content nor does it interfere with traffic or “hits” to the publisher’s site. Only when a URL on a publisher's web site is unavailable will a library's LOCKSS box deliver that URL on-the-fly to the end-user.
- Digital content preserved, not re-packaged
LOCKSS preserves the original state of the content, right down to publisher branding. With LOCKSS, the content is preserved at its original URL -- exactly as it looks on the publisher’s site today.
- On-demand content migration
The LOCKSS system migrates file formats forward in time to ensure tomorrow’s readers can access the content. Individual files are migrated only when required for a reader's access and content is presented using the most current conversion technology.
- LOCKSS' award-winning open source software is OAIS-compliant
Winner of the 2004 Association for Computing Machinery's award for best research.
[edit] Additional Information
To learn more about LOCKSS and making your titles available for preservation, read the following sections:
