LOCKSS Networks: Community-Based Digital Preservation

Ten years ago, the landscape of working digital preservation (DP) solutions and networks was sparsely populated. Today, there is a wide variety of DP approaches and solutions to choose from. In 2013, the Digital POWRR project identified over sixty DP tools and services.1 Today, that number has grown to include not just DP-related tools, but comprehensive DP networks and turnkey solutions. Institutions can outsource the preservation of their digital content to private companies that are active in the library, archives, and museum (LAM) market space. They can also take advantage of cloud services such as DuraCloud, Amazon Glacier, or Google Nearline/ Coldline.2 Academic institutions can join membership networks such as the Digital Preservation Network or the Academic Preservation Trust.3 Or they can form other types of associations based on geographic proximity, institution type, or some other shared characteristic or interest. One approach that has proven successful over time involves building community-based networks around the open-source LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) software application.4 These networks have gone under various