Back to Solutions

Keepers Registry

ISSN International Centre
France
Website (Opens in new window) Get in Touch (Opens in new window)

About

Launched: 2019
Record Updated: Nov 07, 2024
Index or directory
The Keepers Registry acts as a global monitor on the archiving arrangements for continuing resources including e-serials. The Registry has three main purposes:
To enable librarians and policy makers to find out who is looking after what e-content, how, and with what terms of access.
To highlight e-journals which are still “at risk of loss” and need to be archived.
To showcase the archiving organisations around the world, i.e. the Keepers, which provide the digital shelves for access to content over the long term.

Mission

FOSTERING THE WORLDWIDE PRESERVATION OF SERIAL PUBLICATIONS
The long-term preservation of electronic serial publications is essential for maintaining access to the entire scholarly record, as well as for preserving cultural heritage. Since 2019, the Keepers' Registry has been an integral part of the ISSN services. It acts as a global monitor of archiving arrangements for serial publications, with 19 archiving agencies participating as of October 2024. Archiving agencies share data about the resources they hold with the ISSN International Centre, which matches it with its own data, using the ISSN as the linchpin for data matching. The archival status of resources is available free of charge on the website and includes details of the collections. It helps libraries and publishers check which titles are preserved and which are at risk of loss.

Key Achievements

Since 2019, the number of participating institutions has grown from 13 to 19, with the 20th expected to join in early 2025. The number of continuing publications, known as preserved, has also grown, reaching 100,000 titles. We have developed a service called Submit. Retrieve. Reuse that allows users to download data about archived materials and reuse it in their own systems. Communication is also important for the service and there have been papers presented at NASIG annual conferenfe, Latindex General Assembly and IPres2024. We have developed a new strategy for 2029 including the selective expansion of the Keepers Registry network by adding archiving agencies in world regions that are at the moment less well-covered, the development of targeted statistics about the progress of the preservation efforts, and the implementation of a tool assessing the archival status of a journal collection to aid in the collection management efforts by libraries and other organisations.

Technical Attributes

Maintenance Status

Actively Maintained

Open API

In Progress

Open Data Statement

In Progress

Technical Attribute Statements

Technology Readiness Level

  • Actual system proven in operational environment

Standards

Metadata

  • MARC

Policies & Governance

Policies

Bylaws

Implemented
Website (Opens in new window)

Governance Structure & Processes

Implemented
Website (Opens in new window)

Policy Statements

Board Structure

  • Advisory board or steering committee

Board Level

TAC’s mandate is to develop KRS Strategy by regularly reviewing its mission and purpose, by involving stakeholder communities to advise on service development, and by maximizing impact and use of human and financial resources. TAC shall also devise a strategy to recruit new agencies by specifying the application process, the selection, and the take down policy. TAC will also promote KRS globally.

Community Governance

  • Formal

Additional Information

Organizational History

The service started with the University of Edinburgh with funding from JISC. In 2019, JISC stopped funding it and the ISSN International Centre took over.

Organizational Structure

Business or Ownership Model

Intergovernmental organization

Full-time Staff

11-20

Current Affiliations

The ISSN IC is an intergovernmental organisation supported by the French Government and its 95 Members states. They contribute to the budget of the organisation on a bi-annual basis.

Funding

Primary Funding Source

  • Contributions
Back to Top