The LOCKSS ("Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe") project, under the auspices of Stanford University, is a peer-to-peer network that develops and supports an open source system allowing libraries to collect, preserve and provide their readers with access to material published on the Web.

[5][6] A similar project called CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS) "is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization, governed by a Board of Directors made up of librarians and publishers.

[8] Traditionally, academic libraries have retained issues of scholarly journals, either individually or collaboratively, providing their readers access to the content received even after the publisher has ceased or the subscription has been canceled.

Each library's system collects a copy using a specialized web crawler that verifies that the publisher has granted suitable permission.

The voting process makes use of this high degree of replication to eliminate the need for backups to off-line media, and to provide robust defenses against attacks aimed at corrupting preserved content.

[14] In addition to preserving access, libraries have traditionally made it difficult to rewrite or suppress printed material.

Prior to implementing a LOCKSS system, some questions need to be considered carefully in order to make sure the content is verified, evaluated, and auditable by users.