Join CLOCKSS - Academic Publishers
Ensure scholarship is safely and securely preserved for future generations
Since 2009, scholarly publishers and research libraries have collaborated to provide a global digital archive to ensure the long-term survival of digital scholarly content.
Today, in partnership with supporting libraries and participating publisher, CLOCKSS operates 12 archive nodes at leading academic institutions worldwide, where we are able to safely, and securely, preserve the authoritative versions of journal articles, books, and a growing collection of supplementary materials and metadata.
CLOCKSS Value Proposition for Participating Publishers
Customers require it. Libraries and publishers have a mutual obligation to ensure long-term preservation of the scholarly record - leveraging library expertise in preservation, publisher expertise in content production, and the author relationships and financial means of both parties. Requirements to archive content with organizations such as CLOCKSS is a feature of most library agreements. A review in 2022 revealed that digital preservation language in many existing agreements was vague, unclear regarding the precise content and time depth preserved, unnecessarily restrictive in terms of access and/or use, conflated post-cancellation access and long-term digital preservation and access, and was sometimes administratively burdensome to implement. It was also difficult to verify compliance with the agreements, and that the content was actually preserved properly. Libraries have agreed the following good practice guidelines.
In brief, preserving your content in an archive like CLOCKSS makes it easier for publishers to license their content to libraries.
Preserving Your Publications in CLOCKSS: A Step-by-Step Guide for Publishers
Please click the following link to access an overview of the process and the information we will need to preserve your publications in CLOCKSS. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@clockss.org, and we will be happy to help.
Your authors expect it. Authors expect their contributions to be part of our cultural and intellectual heritage; and if used for research or teaching, they will also expect their publications to form part of the scholarly record. This means that this content needs to be preserved in perpetuity to be available to the readers and researchers of the future, outlasting your current organization. In brief, preserving your content in an archive like CLOCKSS is a valuable author service you can provide.
You need it. Long-term preservation should be part of your disaster recovery planning and strategy. This provides your organization with insurance for your valuable content, and a safety net to meet an array of commercial obligations.
Publishing organizations should also be aware of any legal or regulatory requirements in specific jurisdictions, although it is important to note that these should not be considered an alternative to digital preservation.
Standing the Test of Time. CLOCKSS employs world-class opensource digital preservation software developed by Stanford University computer scientists and librarians. The LOCKSS technology regularly checks the validity of stored data and repairs and preserves it for the long term. Digital content is stored in the CLOCKSS archive with no user access unless a “trigger” event occurs.
CLOCKSS’s secure, robust, and decentralized infrastructure can withstand threats from technological, economic, environmental, and political failures. A destructive event in one location won’t jeopardize the survival of preserved digital content because the 11 other locations serve as mirror sites to back-up and repair the disrupted location’s archive.
CLOCKSS has flexible and robust processes. CLOCKSS can access publishers’ content by harvest or FTP. The harvest method is especially helpful for capturing more elements of new dynamic and evolving forms of digital scholarship.
CLOCKSS is a partner to publishers and libraries. As a member of the scholarly publishing community the CLOCKSS Archive is a “good citizen”, providing a key infrastructure service and participating in industry initiatives.
CLOCKSS is governed by the community. CLOCKSS is a free-standing charitable, non-profit organization in the U.S. Its Board of Directors is comprised of twelve leading academic libraries, and twelve leading academic publishers. The Board discusses and sets policies, practices, and prices.
CLOCKSS is committed to keeping fees affordable to allow libraries and publishers of all sizes and budgets to participate in CLOCKSS. Low operating costs make it possible to keep this commitment.
Publisher participation costs include an annual contribution based on publishing revenue (listed below), which covers e-journals, e-books, and any other materials you choose to archive. There is also a one-off set up free and transactional fees based on the volume of content archived with us.
To participate in CLOCKSS or set up an online introduction, please contact us at +1 (248) 848-7079 or info@clockss.org
CLOCKSS 2025 fees for publishers
| - Total Publishing Revenue - | - Annual Contribution - |
| Under $250,000 | $265 |
| $250,000 - 500,000 | $535 |
| $500,000 - 1 million | $1,255 |
| $1 - 5 million | $2,515 |
| $5 - 10 million | $5,030 |
| $10 - 15 million | $7,550 |
| $15 - 20 million | $10,050 |
| $20 - 30 million | $12,565 |
| $30 - 40 million | $15,080 |
| $40 - 50 million | $17,560 |
| $50 - 200 million | $18,875 |
| Over $200 million | $31,455 |
Modest transactional fees include:
- Front file ingest for journals is $0.25/article, with no charge for the first 100 articles. Backfiles are $0.15/article, with discounts at high volumes.
- For books, frontlist ingest is $3.00/book, with no charge for the first 10 books. Backlist books are $2.00, with discounts at high volumes.
- Archiving a new format with CLOCKSS may also include a setup fee that depends on the nature and complexity of the content.
To participate in CLOCKSS or set up a webinar introduction, please contact us here, or at +1 (248) 848-7079