Does your book need a last will and testament? - CLOCKSS

"Authors quite like the idea that their book, their legacy, will be available in 500 years and many library customers require long-term preservation in their purchasing agreements. But how often do explicit conversations take place about what happens to a book when those who originally cared for it are no longer around or able to do so?

Long-term digital preservation is a shared interest and responsibility amongst a book's stakeholders. So, in just the way that people need to be explicit about their wishes for who will care for their children in their wills, stakeholders need to talk about and document what will happen to a book after they are no longer around to care for it.

There’s real hope for commissioned and licensed content, as agreements can be used to convey what is meant to happen to ensure the book is protected. Agreements can be made with digital archives such as CLOCKSS, so that book content is deposited and made available in alignment with your wishes. Legal deposit legislation in many countries acts as a safety net, ensuring that works can be collected and preserved by national libraries for future generations. These preservation services complement one another, and can work in harmony...."