We are proud to welcome CHELSA (the Committee of Higher Education Libraries of South Africa) to the CLOCKSS community. Representing 26 South African academic and research libraries, CHELSA joins the CLOCKSS community, and a new CLOCKSS node will be hosted in South Africa.
This is a momentous achievement for both organizations as we work together to ensure the preservation and long-term protection of South Africa's scholarship while providing an additional regional hub for the preservation of global scholarship.
The establishment of a CLOCKSS node in South Africa also represents an important milestone in expanding trusted digital preservation infrastructure in Africa, while further strengthening the archive's geographical resilience and diversity.
CHELSA unites the Directors of Libraries from South Africa's public higher education institutions. Collectively, its members provide national leadership, set standards, and facilitate resource sharing, staff development, and strategic partnerships that advance academic excellence. CHELSA's membership also includes the National Library of South Africa, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Library, and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Library.
The strength of the CLOCKSS archive lies in its international community governance. Content entrusted to CLOCKSS for preservation is stored across 12 highly secure, geographically distributed nodes. The addition of a node in South Africa further enhances the resilience of the archive and our collective ability to preserve the global scholarly record.
The partnership between CLOCKSS and CHELSA reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that South Africa's research output is preserved as part of the global scholarly record. Together we are committed to strong community owned and controlled digital preservation infrastructure, leveraging library preservation skills for the benefit of current and future generations.
| Province | CHELSA Member University Libraries |
| Eastern Cape | Nelson Mandela University, Rhodes University, University of Fort Hare, Walter Sisulu University |
| Free State | Central University of Technology, University of the Free State |
| Gauteng | Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Tshwane University of Technology, University of Johannesburg, University of Pretoria, University of South Africa (UNISA), University of the Witwatersrand |
| KwaZulu-Natal | Durban University of Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Zululand |
| Limpopo | University of Limpopo, University of Venda |
| Mpumalanga | University of Mpumalanga |
| Northern Cape | Sol Plaatje University |
| North West | North-West University |
| Southern Gauteng | Vaal University of Technology |
| Western Cape | Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Stellenbosch University, University of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape |