Thib Guicherd-Callin
LOCKSS Program Manager
Stanford University
The LOCKSS software, and the LOCKSS Program at Stanford University, emerged in response to the first digital transformation of scholarly publishing: the transition from paper-based journals and books to electronic formats and delivery platforms. That transformation upended the established models of circulation, ownership, longevity, and accessibility for research outputs. We are now in the midst of a second digital transformation in scholarly publishing: the dramatic rise of preprints and “gray literature,” which introduces new complications and demands new approaches to preservation of the scholarly record. Libraries and publishers alike have been urged to invest in preservation infrastructure that will secure a scholarly record in which preprints and other forms of pre-publication distribution now play a vital role. The session will outline plans for a one-day symposium on preprints preservation, defining the scope of the problem, identifying technical and other obstacles, and establishing an agenda for concrete action to triage, collect, and protect— rather than neglect—this emerging sector of the scholarly record.