MLIS 2010 Presentation LOCKSS/CLOCKSS

2. Definition-OAIS
 OAIS- Open Access Information System.
“An OAIS is understood to mean any organization or
system charged with the task of preserving
information over the long term and making it
accessible to a specified class of users (known as the
Designated Community).”
Brian Lavoie, “Meeting the challenges of digital
preservation: The OAIS reference model.” OCLC
Newsletter, No. 243 (January/February 2000),
http://www.oclc.org/research/publications/archive/20
00/lavoie/.

3. How LOCKSS Works
 LOCKSS- Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOE_Jw23cVg
A general overview of how LOCKSS works.
LOCKSS is based on the pre-digital framework of
preservation. Much like several libraries holding a
copy of a print work, OAIS hopes that by making
multiple copies of an item- holding copies in more
than one digital repository- an OAIS hopes to
eliminate the risk of losing data through irreversible
digital corruption inherent in having one copy of an
item.

4. How LOCKSS Works with OAIS
 LOCKSS boxes are constructed to hold items that the
OAIS wants to preserve and maintain access to.
 Once LOCKSS software is loaded on to a PC, it turns
it into a collection and preservation tool that enables
an OAIS to manage its digital records system.
See: http://lockss.stanford.edu/lockss/How_It_Works

5. LOCKSS: Pros
 Open-source, can work with several systems. LOCKSS
is free, which makes it appealing to archives and
libraries and not only those operating on a tight
budget.
 Information is constantly audited and repaired.
 Creates several copies-if one copy is damaged, it can
be replaced by another copy. This has been utilized
especially by organizations who are collaborating with
each other on digitization projects.
With LOCKSS, libraries can keep content and do not
have to pay access fees to third parties.

6. LOCKSS: Con
 Space is finite; multiple copies means finding
adequate storage to house the copies.
 Organizations often collaborate in order to free up
space by relying on another organization to house a
copy of the information (much like traditional
Interlibrary Loan) and to gain access to information
that they do not have. What’s the point if there’s so
much overlap/redundancy?

7. Q: I’ve heard of CLOCKSS too, what
is that?
 Stands for Controlled LOCKSS. CLOCKSS is a dark
archive; access is limited to a few individuals (OAIS)
and may be entirely off limits to the “designated
community”.
 CLOCKSS is often used as a back up for information
kept in an digital archive/repository as part of a
disaster recovery plan.

8. CLOCKSS Continued
 CLOCKSS is often utilized in case of a trigger event.
 CLOCKSS gathers the content and assigns a Creative
Commons license to the information to ensure access.
 The program is frequently used to gather orphan
works.

9.  Publisher no longer in
business.
 Trigger events are  Title No Longer Offered
categorized by the  Back Issues No Longer
Stanford-based program Available.
as:  Catastrophic
(technical)failure.
Publisher cannot access
original information.

10. Discussion Question
 The OAIS must factor in the amount of storage space
available when selecting software to manage a digital
repository. With limited space and the possibility of
overlap with LOCKSS, is LOCKSS an adequate
preservation tool?