Library of Congress Announces DIgital Preservation Award to CLOCKS=

[Victoria Reich <vreich@stanford.edu>]

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June 7, 2006
Contacts: Guy Lamolinara, Library of Congress (202) 707-9217; Andrew
Herkovic, Stanford University (650) 725-1877

Library of Congress Announces DIgital Preservation Award to Stanford
University

The Library of Congress has entered into a three-year cooperative=20
agreement with Stanford University to provide approximately=20
$700,000 in support of Stanford=92s CLOCKSS (Controlled Lots of=20
Copies Keep Stuff Safe) digital archive pilot and related=20
technical projects. Funding is being provided by the=20
congressionally mandated National Digital Information=20
Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP).

"We are looking forward to working with Stanford on this=20
important collaboration,: said Laura E. Campbell, associate=20
librarian for Strategic Initiatives, who is leading NDIIPP. "By=20
joining our other NDIIPP digital preservation partners, Stanford=20
is leveraging the collective expertise in this important field of=20
librarianship."

The Library is leading the NDIIPP initiative=20
(www.digitalpreservation.gov), which is focused on the long-term=20
preservation of culturally important born-digital materials. A=20
key element of this program is the formation of a national=20
network of partners, like Stanford, to implement solutions and=20
share responsibility for preserving digital materials.

Since 1999, Stanford has been developing preservation software as=20
part of its LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) program.

Web sites have become the version of record for many journals and=20
other types of publications that are no longer distributed in=20
print. Information stored on paper can survive for centuries;=20
information stored digitally today may not be recoverable next=20
week. Libraries are thus faced with the urgent problem of=20
creating online collections that are as well preserved as=20
traditional hard copies. The reliable preservation of digital=20
materials is critical to the mission of librarians who build=20
collections and must ensure the future availability of today=92s=20
intellectual, cultural and historical content.

The LOCKSS Program, initiated by Stanford University Libraries,=20
is open-source software that provides libraries with an easy and=20
inexpensive way to collect, store, preserve and provide access to=20
their own, local copy of authorized content. The CLOCKSS=20
initiative (http://www.lockss.org/clockss) is a collaborative,=20
community initiative to build a trusted, large-scale, dark=20
archive. CLOCKSS is intended to provide a decentralized and=20
secure solution to long-term archiving, based on the LOCKSS=20
technical infrastructure. Its governance and administration=20
structure are distributed to ensure that no single organization=20
controls the archive or has the power to compromise the content's=20
long-term safety or integrity. Access to archived content will be=20
granted in response to a trigger event (for example, when content=20
is orphaned or abandoned by its owner or subject to long-term=20
business interruption), reviewed by a group of people working on=20
behalf of the broader community. Any content that is made=20
accessible after a trigger event will be made available to all.

As part of the NDIIPP cooperative agreement, Stanford will work=20
with the Library of Congress to explore the potential=20
applicability of its LOCKSS/ CLOCKSS technologies to a variety of=20
initiatives and projects that support the overall goals of=20
NDIIPP. The Library award will be matched dollar-for-dollar by=20
Stanford.

         BACKGROUND

*About the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation
Program*

In December 2000 Congress authorized the Library of Congress to=20
develop and execute a congressionally approved plan for a=20
National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation=20
Program. A $99.8 million congressional appropriation was made to=20
establish the program. According to Conference Report (H. Rept.=20
106-1033), =93The overall plan should set forth a strategy for the=20
Library of Congress, in collaboration with other federal and=20
nonfederal entities, to identify a national network of libraries=20
and other organizations with responsibilities for collecting=20
digital materials that will provide access to and maintain those=20
materials. =85 In addition to developing this strategy, the plan=20
shall set forth, in concert with the Copyright Office, the=20
policies, protocols and strategies for the long-term preservation=20
of such materials, including the technological infrastructure=20
required at the Library of Congress.=94 The goal is to build a=20
network of committed partners working through a preservation=20
architecture with defined roles and responsibilities.

The complete text of the Plan for the National Digital=20
Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program is available=20
at www.digitalpreservation.gov. This includes an explanation of=20
how the plan was developed, whom the Library worked with to=20
develop the plan and the key components of the digital=20
preservation infrastructure. The plan was approved by Congress in=20
December 2002.

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world.=20
Through its National Digital Library (NDL) Program, it is also=20
one of the leading providers of noncommercial intellectual=20
content on the Internet (www.loc.gov). The NDL Program's flagship=20
American Memory project, in collaboration with other institutions=20
nationwide, makes freely available more than 10.5 million=20
American historical items.

*About the LOCKSS Program and Stanford Libraries*

The LOCKSS Program (www.lockss.org) is based at Stanford=20
University Libraries & Academic Information Resources=20
(www-sul.stanford.edu).  Over the years, the program has received=20
major funding from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National=20
Science Foundation, as well as funding and in-kind support from=20
the United Kingdom's Joint Information Systems Committee, Sun=20
Microsystems, HP Labs, Intel Research Berkeley and Harvard=20
University. The program is now largely funded by contributions=20
from the member libraries of the LOCKSS Alliance.

Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources is=20
dedicated to meeting the university's information needs in=20
support of teaching, learning and research; to the global=20
dissemination of scholarly information through publishing and=20
online services; and to the advancement of the art and science of=20
library and information practices. It is actively addressing the=20
challenges of scholarly communication and research libraries in=20
the digital age, while continuing the development and=20
preservation of its extensive print, media and manuscript=20
collections.

# # #

PR 06-129
06/07/06
ISSN 0731-3527
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