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CLOCKSS

CLOCKSS
United States of America
Website (Opens in new window) Pricing Info (Opens in new window)

About

Launched: 2008
Record Updated: Oct 28, 2026
Digital preservation service
CLOCKSS is a community-led collaboration of academic publishers and research libraries around the world, working together to ensure the long-term preservation of scholarly knowledge and protect our shared intellectual heritage for future generations.
Today, the CLOCKSS archive preserves more than 65 million scholarly articles and nearly 600,000 books, representing content from 83 countries and 820 participating publishers. Supported by 312 libraries and a global network of 12 geographically distributed archive sites, CLOCKSS provides a secure and sustainable approach to digital preservation, built on the award-winning LOCKSS technology.
Through our community-governed model, we bring publishers and libraries together in a shared commitment to preserving the scholarly record, giving researchers, authors, institutions, and future generations confidence that scholarly content will remain protected and accessible even as technologies, publishing platforms, and organizations change.
Research Organization Registry (Opens in new window)

Domain Relevance

  • Other engineering and technologies

Mission

At CLOCKSS our ethos is simple: we exist to preserve the hard work and knowledge of scholars.
The world is unpredictable. Geo-political, technological, economic, and environmental change can create challenges in all aspects of society. Research and knowledge have already been lost. Digital preservation should be an essential part of every library and publisher’s disaster recovery and sustainability plan. Through our digital archive services and active management, CLOCKSS helps you mitigate risks.
Academic books, academic journals, and other digital collections preserved in our digital archive can be retrieved intact after disruptions to inform future generations.
Digital preservation requires active digital archive management to ensure the content is complete and remains healthy over time. Digitized content, back-up copies, and content in storage can deteriorate, and so do not offer the same guarantees that a long-term digital preservation archive does.

Key Achievements

Today, the CLOCKSS archive preserves more than 65 million scholarly articles and nearly 600,000 books, plus an array of related code, data, images, and videos by organizations in more than 83 countries and 820 participating publishers. Supported by 312 libraries and a global network of 12 geographically distributed archive sites
We hold the highest accreditation score ever awarded to a digital preservation service by the Center for Research Libraries.

Technical Attributes

Maintenance Status

Actively Maintained

Open Code Repository

Implemented
Website (Opens in new window)

Technical Documentation

Implemented
Website (Opens in new window)

Open Product Roadmap

Implemented
Website (Opens in new window)

Technical Attribute Statements

Technology Readiness Level

  • Actual system proven in operational environment

Code Licenses Used

  • BSD licenses

Content Licensing

  • Creative commons licenses

Standards

Persistent Identifier

  • Research Organization Registry

Preservation

  • OAIS

Metrics

KBART files sent to the KEEPERS Registry on a weekly basis.

Hosting Options

  • Through solution or third party vendor

Integrations

  • Other
An array of publishing and hosting platforms

Community Engagement

Community Engagement

Implemented
CLOCKSS Community (Opens in new window) Our YouTube Channel (Opens in new window) Our Community News (Opens in new window)

Community Statements

User Contribution Pathways

  • Contribute to education or training
  • Contribute to working groups or interest groups

Community Engagement Activities

  • Blogs
  • Conference participation
  • Social media
  • Staff roles with responsibility for community engagement
  • Webinars and training

Policies & Governance

Governance Summary

CLOCKSS operates through a unique community-governed model that brings together academic publishers and research libraries as equal partners in the long-term preservation of scholarly content. Its Board of Directors is composed of elected representatives from both communities, who jointly oversee the organization’s strategic direction, financial sustainability, and preservation priorities. This shared governance structure ensures that CLOCKSS remains independent of any single publisher, institution, or commercial interest, with decisions guided by the collective responsibility to protect the scholarly record and ensure its long-term accessibility for future generations.

Policies

Bylaws

Implemented
CLOCKSS Bylaws (Opens in new window)

Commitment to Equity & Inclusion

Implemented
CLOCKSS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (Opens in new window) CLOCKSS Collection Development Policy (Opens in new window)

Privacy Policy

Implemented
CLOCKSS Privacy Policy (Opens in new window)

Web Accessibility Statement

Implemented

Governance Structure & Processes

Implemented
CLOCKSS Board of Directors (Opens in new window)

Transparent Pricing and Cost Expectations

Implemented
Website (Opens in new window)

Policy Statements

Access Conditions

  • Fee required

Board Structure

  • Advisory board or steering committee

Board Level

  • Other
*Select and remove Officers and Agents and set their Terms of Reference
*Agree CLOCKSS strategy
*Ensure that there are funds to deliver the strategy; set and track the budget
*Agree how to invest CLOCKSS money, or to incur debt
*Check that the strategy is being delivered, and request corrective action where necessary
*Decide the level of risk that is right for CLOCKSS, require staff to identify risk and propose mitigating activities, agree and monitor this activity
*Prepare the annual accounts and report, with support from staff
*Act in the interests of CLOCKSS, not another individual or organization

Community Governance

  • Formal

Additional Information

Organizational History

CLOCKSS was spun out from Stanford University and the LOCKSS Program as an independent 501(c)(3) in 2008.

Organizational Structure

Business or Ownership Model

Non-profit organization

Full-time Staff

1-5

Volunteers

0

Non-profit Status

501(c)3

Current Affiliations

n/a

Funding

Primary Funding Source

  • Program service revenue

Revenue Sources

  • Other
Program participation

Financial Reporting Level

  • Both

Funding Needs

We would like to extend our preservation services to smaller publishers around the world, and to extend our collections to include more diverse and inclusive perspectives.
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