Transitioning the PKP PLN from Pilot to Launch

For the past year, the PKP Private LOCKSS Network (PLN) has been in a pilot phase, with the University of Victoria, University of Pittsburgh, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, Indiana University, and Simon Fraser University testing various aspects of the Network, ranging from the new OJS plugin to the terms of use that journal managers must accept to have their journals be preserved.

With the release of OJS 2.4.7 in mid October, the PKP PLN is ready to complete its pilot phase and transition into full production. Once members of the pilot have upgraded to OJS 2.4.7, PLN staff will complete acceptance tests and finalize the terms of use. After the testing is complete, the PLN will allow any OJS journal running the required version of OJS to deposit its content into the PLN for long-term preservation and, in the event that the journal ceases to be available at its original location, access to the reading public.

Digital preservation involves an interesting mix of technology and organizational infrastructure. The PKP’s next task is to develop appropriate agreements for the institutions that are participating as preservation nodes in the Network.

In August, the PKP PLN was accepted as a member of the Keepers Registry, a central directory of preservation services for electronic journals, maintained by the University of Edinburgh and the ISSN International Centre. PKP joins other Keepers such as the Library of Congress, Scholars Portal, HathiTrust, CLOCKSS, and the Global LOCKSS Network.