LOCKSS

The LOCKSS initiative is an alliance of publishers and libraries to provide low-cost and persistent archives of content licensed to libraries from publishers, so that they own the content they have paid for, in much the same way as in the printed environment.

This is important because the current model of centralised distribution carries with it implicit risks. The library is reliant on an external party to provide access over an indefinite period of time.

What happens if the external provider can no longer facilitate access? Participation in LOCKSS mitigates this risk and enables libraries to establish custody of their valued digital assets and actively contribute to their ongoing preservation and management over time.

Without undermining the publishers' access control systems, the LOCKSS software enables institutions to locally collect, store, preserve, and archive authorised content. LOCKSS is suitable for all file formats delivered via the HTTP protocol and available as open source software.

It is designed to run on inexpensive hardware and requires little system administration. Over 180 libraries and 200 publishers worldwide are currently participating in the LOCKSS programme.

Between March 2006 and July 2008, JISC and CURL/RLUK funded a UK LOCKSS Pilot Programme, led by the DCC, which involved thirty libraries in UK higher education trialling the LOCKSS approach.

The success and outcomes of the pilot are highlighted in Evaluation of the JISC UK LOCKSS Pilot, a comprehensive evaluation report prepared by Evidence Base

Launched in August 2008, the UK LOCKSS Alliance is an operational national service led by EDINA in conjunction with the DCC. The UK LOCKSS Alliance is directly building on the experiences of the UK LOCKSS Pilot Programme, and strengthening the service based on the recommendations from recent evaluations. 

A dedicated support service provides both technical and non-technical support to the LOCKSS community in the UK, including first line support and development of publisher specific plug-ins, as well as training and awareness raising events.

The support service will also assist the libraries in collection development by undertaking content negotiation with publishers and liaising with relevant bodies to identify content of common interest.

Participation

Membership in the UK LOCKSS Alliance is open to all HE/FE institutions for a JISC Collections banded fee. Details on the fee and process for signing up are available on the JISC Collections. 

UK LOCKSS Alliance Members

• University of Bristol
• Cardiff University
• De Montfort University
• Durham University
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Glasgow
• University of Huddersfield
• King's College London
• Leicester University
• London School of Economics
• University of Sheffield
• University of Sussex
• University of Wolverhampton
• University of Warwick
• University of York

Benefits

Join the UK LOCKSS Alliance now and you will gain:

• Access to newly released premium LOCKSS content
• Access to trusted content when you need it
• Membership of the growing UK digital journal archiving community
• Dedicated support and guidance on implementing LOCKSS at your institution
• Access to operational documentation on how to use LOCKSS on a day-to-day basis
• Ability to influence LOCKSS development activity to better meet institutional needs
• Ability to influence strategic coordination to identify and appraise titles of interest
• Guidance and information on cutting-edge international preservation initiatives
• Provision of development work to release new journal content

Mailing Lists

A general list for UK LOCKSS Alliance participants is available to facilitate communication within the growing UK LOCKSS community. General questions, announcements, and discussions about non-technical aspects of LOCKSS, including services, policies, legal issues, features and functions are suitable for discussion.

Membership of the UK LOCKSS Alliance mailing list is limited to staff at member organisations. Subscription information can be found on the JISCMAIL website.

LOCKSS Technical Support Service

Please e-mail lockss-support@dcc.ac.uk if you require technical support for your LOCKSS appliance.

Documents and Resources

General interest documents related to the UK LOCKSS Alliance and LOCKSS approach more generally will be highlighted below.

Rusbridge, A. and Ross, S. (2008). "Establishing a community-based approach to electronic journal archiving: the UK LOCKSS Pilot Programme" 

Morrow, T., Beagrie, N., Jones, M., and Chruscz, J. (2008). "A Comparative Study of e-Journal Archiving Solutions"

Dalton, P., and Conyers, A. (2008). "Evaluation of the JISC UK LOCKSS Pilot" 

Hockx-Yu, H. (2006). "Establishing a UK LOCKSS Pilot Programme" 

Rusbridge, A., and Ross, S. (2007). "The UK LOCKSS Pilot Programme: A Perspective from the LOCKSS Technical Support Service"