Digital Preservation through Cooperation: LOCKSS

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Digital Preservation through Cooperation LOCKSS

• Gail McMillan
• Digital Library and Archives, University
  Libraries
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
  University
• VIVA Steering Committee and SCHEV LAC
• Virginia State University
• June 10, 2005

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Libraries Collections, not just Links

• Libraries should own, as well as manage, their
  digital collections, including
• Content currently leased VIVA examples
• BioOne, Cambridge Uni. Press, Nature Publishing
  Group, Project Muse
• See http//lockss.stanford.edu/about/titles.htm
• LOCKSS prevents the publisher from revoking
  access rights to back content
• Open-access web resources, for example
• Abbey's Web Provides links to biographical
  information, bibliographies, articles, and other
  resources about the environmental writer, Edward
  Abbey http//www.abbeyweb.net/

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LOCKSS BasicsLibrary uses inexpensive computer
and free software

• Programmatically collects content from publisher
• Preserves content among LOCKSS servers
• Periodically audits content and repairs as needed
  from other LOCKSS servers
• Disseminates content to librarys appropriate
  users
• Host librarys readers see the content from
  publishers URL
• Unless it isnt available from there
• It is delivered from the readers librarys
  LOCKSS-preserved content.
• It doesnt look any different.

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LOCKSS and EJournals

• Library (consortium) negotiates with publishers
• Publishers trust LOCKSS
• Collections begin with subscriptions, not
  retrospectively
• Libraries have access to their collections in
  perpetuity
• Outside the appropriate user community, access
  only to audit and repair files
• Low cost to administer and run
• Less than 1 hour per month
• 95 of systems patched in 48hrs
• Low storage costs 2003 0.70 one year, one
  journal, 0.5GB

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LOCKSS software turns a PC into a preservation
tool
One PC holds gt3,000 years of an average
electronic journal (2005)
600MHz-128MB RAM-Bootable CD drive-Floppy disk
drive
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LOCKSS and Publishers

• Suggested license language permits
• libraries to
• Collect and preserve currently accessible
• materials, i.e., subscription-based content
• Use materials consistent with original
• license terms
• Provide copies to others for purposes of
• audit and repair
• Review of Writing and Photography of Appalachia

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LOCKSS is for more than just ejournals

• MetaArchive of Southern Digital Culture
• ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations
• ASERL Association of SouthEastern Research
  Libraries
• 9/11 web sites -- NYPL
• Newspapers -- University of Utah
• Government Documents

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NDIIPP National Digital Information
Infrastructure and Preservation Program

• Created by federal legislation in December 2000
• Support preservation of significant
  born-digital content at risk
• Three areas of focus
• Network of preservation partners Clear
  instructions from legislators that LC should work
  with others
• Architectural framework for preservation
• Digital preservation research

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MetaArchive NDIIPP Network
University of Louisville
Va Tech
Emory University
Ga Tech
Florida State University
Auburn University

• http//www.metaarchive.org

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Key Features of a Secure MetaArchive

1. Distributed preservation strategy
2. Flexible organizational model
3. Formal content selection process
4. Capability for migrating archives
5. Dim archiving strategy
6. Low cost to deployment
7. Self-Sustaining incentives
8. Simple preservation exchange mechanisms with the
   Library of Congress

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MetaArchive Project Goals

1. Create a conspectus of digital content within the
   subject domain held by the partner sites
2. Harvested body of the most critical content to be
   preserved (3 terabytes, w/ capability to expand)
3. Develop a model cooperative agreement for ongoing
   collaboration and sustainability
4. Distributed preservation network infrastructure
   based on the LOCKSS software

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MetaArchive Deliverables,more than CLOCKSS

• Define the Scope of the Content
• What is Southern digital culture?
• What is at risk?
• Developing a Conspectus Content Selection
• What collections will be preserved?
• Metadata
• Adaptations showing any unique or qualified tags
• Rights issues harvesting for preservation vs.
  user access

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MetaArchives CLOCKSS (Collecting Lots of Copies
Keeps Stuff Safe)

• Diversifying LOCKSS
• Software , hardware, collections, communities
• Study problems
• Dynamic content
• Format migration (next grant)
• Cooperative agreement model
• Not only an effective preservation network for
  one body of digital content, but enable the
  creation of many others for this important
  purpose.

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http//www.lockss.org