UK LOCKSS ALLIANCE ROUNDUP, JANUARY 2014

This is the latest periodic news bulletin reporting developments in  
the UK LOCKSS Alliance.  In this bulletin we report on: how others in  
the global LOCKSS network are using their LOCKSS software,  
specifically for Private LOCKSS Networks (PLNs); and the Aligning  
National Approaches to Digital Preservation Conference in Barcelona,  
November 2013.

    PLNs
Consultation with UKLA members in 2012 revealed increasing interest,  
among the membership, in establishing private LOCKSS networks (PLNs).   
A PLN allows deployment of the LOCKSS software for specific community  
and organizational requirements.  For example, the CLOCKSS Archive is  
an example of a PLN for e-journal content. There are many examples of  
PLNs in use for preservation of special collections, providing a  
system to preserve local materials and non-journal formats e.g.  
manuscripts, images, audio files, official publications and databases.  
  PLNs are effective in collaborative environments where like-minded  
institutions share responsibility for preserving e-content of  
importance to them.  A PLN allows the community to build digital  
preservation infrastructure, safeguard local digital content and  
cultivate and maintain local staff expertise and technology assets.   
There are instances where PLNs are used as a redundancy layer for  
institutional repositories to ensure robust preservation.  In the USA,  
the tamper proof mechanisms of LOCKSS have made the software ideal as  
a mechanism for community preservation of official government documents.

At a LOCKSS PLN Community meeting in Alabama, in October 2013, members  
committed to various concrete actions that will improve documentation  
to the benefit of LOCKSS members throughout the world and to various  
technical developments.  Work on documentation will include  
re-organising and populating the PLNWiki at http://plnwiki.lockss.org/  
and converting support emails into sections of the LOCKSS Technical  
Manual.  Technical work will include effort on the baseline technical  
requirements for a LOCKSS PLN.

Examples of existing PLNs and those in development are documented on  
the LOCKSS website (http://www.lockss.org/community/networks/).

ANADP
Adam Rusbridge, the UKLA Coordinator was in Barcelona on 18--20  
November 2013 attending the second ?Aligning National Approaches to  
Digital Preservation? (ANADP) conference.   The ANADP conference  
brings people together ?to align digital preservation efforts  
internationally between communities.?  At a series of plenaries and  
practical ?action? sessions, delegates focused on themes such as:

?	concerns about smaller organisations and their ability to take  
action and satisfy digital preservation requirements;
?	the role of education and advocacy to support digital preservation;
?	planning for failure ? but relying on slow failure to allow  
succession plans to kick in; and
?	new approaches to preservation to address special, unique and  
minority collections.

At a satellite workshop on the morning of 18 November focusing on  
Private LOCKSS Networks (PLNs), representatives of various PLNs  
including the MetaArchive, CoppulPLN, Alabama PLN, gathered to share  
information on how they initiated their PLNs and secured buy-in from  
their institutions.  This may be useful to the UKLA membership in  
initiating a UK-specific PLN.

After the meeting in Barcelona, those running PLNs in different parts  
of the world have begun meeting on the first Tuesday of every month by  
telecon.  These calls are informal and aimed at sharing information  
between individuals working with LOCKSS, both technical and  
non-technical. All LOCKSS members with an interest in PLNs are  
encouraged to participate; UKLA members should get in touch at  
[log in to unmask] to be put on the PLN mailing list.  Minutes arising  
from the meetings will be published on the PLN wiki at  
http://plnwiki.lockss.org/wiki/index.php/PLN_Monthly_Meeting_Minutes.





-- 
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in
Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

lis-e-resources is a UKSG list - http://www.uksg.org
UKSG groups also available on Facebook and LinkedIn
Follow us on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/UKSG