CLOCKSS
CLOCKSS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) digital preservation organization that safeguards scholarly journals, books, and digital collections across 12 distributed archive nodes at research libraries worldwide, serving 300 supporting academic libraries and 809 participating publishers with LOCKSS technology and CC Open Access triggering.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersStanford, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What CLOCKSS does
CLOCKSS, legally organized as Digital Distributed Community Archive (dba CLOCKSS Archive), is a tax-exempt nonprofit (501(c)(3)) organization incorporated in California and operationally headquartered at Stanford University's Cecil H. Green Library. Founded as a digital preservation archive built on the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) technology developed at Stanford, CLOCKSS operates as a community-led collaboration of academic libraries and publishers, providing long-term preservation services for journal articles, books, and digital collections. As of the latest reporting it holds 64.5 million journal articles, 586,045 books, and 82 triggered titles released under Creative Commons Open Access licenses after publishers ceased operations or discontinued titles, and it serves 300 supporting academic libraries and 809 participating publishers worldwide.
CLOCKSS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CLOCKSS
- Legal name
- Digital Distributed Community Archive
- Website
- https://clockss.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CLOCKSS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) digital preservation organization that safeguards scholarly journals, books, and digital collections across 12 distributed archive nodes at research libraries worldwide, serving 300 supporting academic libraries and 809 participating publishers with LOCKSS technology and CC Open Access triggering.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CLOCKSS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Preservation Services
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (519210), Libraries and Archives (51921)
- SIC
- Magnetic & Optical Recording Media (3695)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Public Media Archives, Libraries & Content Preservation (MPABADAL)
Keywords
Where CLOCKSS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stanford
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CLOCKSS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Others
Revenue model
- Library Membership/Sponsorship: Academic libraries pay membership/sponsorship fees to support the CLOCKSS archive and gain access to preservation services and community governance participation.
- Publisher Participation Fees: Academic publishers pay fees to participate in the CLOCKSS archive, having their content preserved for long-term access.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Supporting Library Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Participating Publisher Program |
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Diamond Open Access Pilot |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
CLOCKSS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CLOCKSS provides a sustainable, geographically distributed digital preservation archive for scholarly content (journal articles, books, and digital collections) using LOCKSS-based technology across 12 archive nodes at leading research libraries. Content is preserved in a dark archive with no user access unless a trigger event occurs, at which point CLOCKSS releases the content to permanent open access under Creative Commons licenses. The organization serves academic libraries (membership/sponsorship) and academic publishers (participation fees).
Product overview
CLOCKSS is a digital preservation organization offering a suite of interconnected services centered on the CLOCKSS Archive. The core offering is the distributed dark archive that preserves scholarly content (64.5 million journal articles, 586,045 books) across 12 global nodes using LOCKSS technology. When content triggers (becomes permanently unavailable), the Triggered Content Service makes it openly accessible under Creative Commons licenses. CLOCKSS leverages LOCKSS 2.0 for enhanced interoperability, and the Global LOCKSS Network provides additional preservation options for institutions seeking alternatives to commercial cloud services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CLOCKSS Archive Distributed dark-archive preservation service for academic libraries and publishers; preserves scholarly journals, books, and digital collections across 12 archive nodes with no user access unless a trigger event occurs.
- Triggered Content Service Service that releases preserved content into permanent Creative Commons Open Access when a trigger event occurs (e.g., publisher ceases operations or a title is discontinued), ensuring the scholarly record stays openly available.
- CLOCKSS Diamond OA Journal Preservation Pilot Pilot program offering free preservation of library- and scholar-led Diamond Open Access journals in the CLOCKSS archive, with built-in connectors to OJS (Open Journal Systems) and OMP (Open Monograph Press) for content transfer.
- Global LOCKSS Network Distributed preservation network delivered through CLOCKSS, offering institutions an alternative to commercial cloud preservation services with community-led stewardship.
Quantifiable outcome
- 82 journals triggered to open access, freely available to everyone permanently
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use CLOCKSS
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CLOCKSS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature6 records
CLOCKSS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- National Library of the Netherlands (KB)flagshipKB conceived and led the formation of GRIN (Global Resilient Information Network), bringing together international leaders from national libraries, cultural institutions, and digital preservation organizations including CLOCKSS. CLOCKSS actively participates in this collaborative initiative for shared digital stewardship of cultural and knowledge assets.
- LOCKSScoreLOCKSS provides the foundational technology platform for CLOCKSS, including the award-winning distributed preservation software. LOCKSS team operates the CLOCKSS Archive under contract to the CLOCKSS Board. LOCKSS 2.0 development includes REST API implementation for enhanced interoperability and diversified content deposit pipelines.
- Center for Research Libraries (CRL)coreCRL conducts rigorous independent audits for CLOCKSS accreditation, including TRAC certification based on ISO 16363 standards. CRL serves as the certifying body validating CLOCKSS's trustworthiness as a digital repository.
- University of Edinburgh - Edinburgh DiamondcoreEdinburgh Diamond (University of Edinburgh's library publishing partner) participates in CLOCKSS's Diamond OA pilot program. The university hosts one of 12 CLOCKSS archival nodes, and its Director of Library and University Collections serves as Co-Chair of the CLOCKSS Board of Directors.
- All Able LtdminorAll Able Ltd conducted comprehensive accessibility audits of the CLOCKSS website using assistive technologies, screen readers, speech recognition software, keyboard navigation testing, and color contrast analysis. Audit findings have led to implemented improvements.
- Digital Preservation CoalitioncoreCLOCKSS participates in DPC initiatives including the Carbon Footprint Toolkit development, where Alicia Wise (CLOCKSS Executive Director) chairs the DPC Carbon Footprint Task Force. DPC hosted discussions on environmental impact and digital preservation.
- White Rose University PresscoreWhite Rose University Press published the Journal of African Cultural Heritage Studies, which has been preserved and triggered for open access through CLOCKSS, making all volumes permanently available under Creative Commons licensing.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CLOCKSS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- JSTOR: Large-scale scholarly content archive providing long-term access to academic journals, books, and primary sources. Overlaps with CLOCKSS's preservation and access-continuity mission but is broader (access platform) and operates commercially with library subscription funding.
- Internet Archive: Large-scale nonprofit digital library archiving web pages, books, audio, video, and software. Overlaps with CLOCKSS on long-term preservation of digital content but operates a much broader scope and open-access-first mandate versus CLOCKSS's dark-archive scholarly focus.
- AWS S3 Glacier / Amazon Glacier: Major commercial cloud archival storage service frequently used as the underlying preservation substrate by libraries and institutions. A broad incumbent in the digital preservation infrastructure layer rather than a community-led dark archive like CLOCKSS.
Direct peers
- HathiTrust: Nonprofit digital preservation repository founded by academic and research libraries to archive and share scholarly content. Directly comparable to CLOCKSS in mission, library-led governance, and preservation of digitized and born-digital scholarly materials.
- Chronopolis: Digital preservation network providing distributed, replicated dark archiving services to research and cultural heritage institutions. Comparable distributed-architecture model and community-funded approach to long-term scholarly content preservation.
- Portico: Community-supported preservation service for academic journals, books, and select other scholarly content. Closely comparable dark-archive model with library and publisher funding, trigger-based access, and similar participant categories to CLOCKSS.
Others
- Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC): International advocacy and membership coalition advancing digital preservation across sectors. A peer/ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor—CLOCKSS is a DPC member and Wise chairs DPC's Carbon Footprint Task Force.
Emerging players
- LOCKSS Alliance / LOCKSS Program: Stanford-based community and technology program built on LOCKSS software that powers CLOCKSS. Operates parallel LOCKSS networks (e.g., Global LOCKSS Network) for institutional preservation and is a close technology and governance peer with overlapping community membership.
- APTrust (Academic Preservation Trust): Consortium of universities and research institutions offering replicated dark preservation services for academic digital content. Directly comparable nonprofit/community model serving the academic preservation segment where CLOCKSS operates.
Regional players
- Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) / National Library of the Netherlands: National library and major digital preservation actor that initiated the GRIN network and operates large-scale preservation infrastructure. A strategic partner and regional peer, with overlapping digital stewardship mandate though focused on national/legal deposit content.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CLOCKSS social profiles
Digital presenceCLOCKSS compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
CLOCKSS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CLOCKSS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
CLOCKSS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CLOCKSS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CLOCKSS
What does CLOCKSS do?
CLOCKSS provides a sustainable, geographically distributed digital preservation archive for scholarly content (journal articles, books, and digital collections) using LOCKSS-based technology across 12 archive nodes at leading research libraries. Content is preserved in a dark archive with no user access unless a trigger event occurs, at which point CLOCKSS releases the content to permanent open access under Creative Commons licenses. The organization serves academic libraries (membership/sponsorship) and academic publishers (participation fees).
Is CLOCKSS a public or private company?
CLOCKSS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CLOCKSS founded?
CLOCKSS was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CLOCKSS based?
CLOCKSS is headquartered in Stanford, United States, in the North America region.
How does CLOCKSS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Library Membership/Sponsorship is the primary driver. The others are publisher Participation Fees.
Who are CLOCKSS's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are JSTOR, Internet Archive and AWS S3 Glacier / Amazon Glacier. Direct peers are HathiTrust, Chronopolis and Portico. Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) is listed as an others. Emerging players are LOCKSS Alliance / LOCKSS Program and APTrust (Academic Preservation Trust). Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) / National Library of the Netherlands is listed as a regional player.
Does CLOCKSS have an API?
No public API is recorded for CLOCKSS.
What industry is CLOCKSS in?
CLOCKSS's product category is Digital Preservation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAEAGAJ, Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation), with a secondary code of MPABADAL, Public Media Archives, Libraries & Content Preservation. Its NAICS code is 519210 and its SIC code is 3695.