Dandelion Archive

Dandelion Archive is an interim digital preservation service for former MetaArchive members.

Dandelion Archive is a digital preservation service offered on an interim basis to former MetaArchive members that have not relocated their preserved assets to another environment by March 31, 2025, the sunsetting date for MetaArchive. Technical support for Dandelion Archive is provided by the LOCKSS Program at Stanford University Libraries. Dandelion Archive is a LOCKSS network that leverages some of the infrastructure formerly used by MetaArchive, including LOCKSS nodes already at participating institutions and support infrastructure already at Stanford University.

MetaArchive was a non-profit digital preservation cooperative formerly hosted by Educopia ¹. MetaArchive's origins date back to 2004 and it was sunset on March 31, 2025 after a community process that began in 2024 ². MetaArchive was a pioneer in the history of digital preservation in general and the LOCKSS ecosystem in particular, as it was the first LOCKSS network other than the Global LOCKSS Network (GLN), demonstrating successful technical and governance models for community-based distributed digital preservation. Some MetaArchive members were adopted by ADPNet and SAFE PLN, while others are engaging in efforts to relocate and reorganize.

Participation in Dandelion Archive is restricted to former MetaArchive members needing an extended service and support window after the sunsetting of MetaArchive.

Your institution and the LOCKSS Program will sign a lightweight memorandum of understanding, and agree to a continuing fee structure based on MetaArchive precedent if applicable. That's it!

The LOCKSS Program support team will work with you to ensure you are holding a comprehensive replica of the content in the network, and to reconfigure the LOCKSS node at your institution (using the hostconfig script) as follows:

• Configuration URL
  • Old value: https://admin.metaarchive.org/lockss/config/lockss.xml
  • New value: https://props.lockss.org:8001/dandelion/lockss.xml
• Preservation group(s)
  • Old value: metaarchive
  • New value: dandelion

Dandelion Archive includes preservation of your institution's MetaArchive-era content in the network's nodes, and support services from the LOCKSS Program. Support service from the LOCKSS Program covers monitoring and maintaining your node; troubleshooting and technical support via e-mail or videoconference; helping your institution graduate out of Dandelion Archive; and more. There will also be periodic community meetings and other ancillary amenities. Because Dandelion Archive is inherently a stop-gap offering, no new content processing is planned.

Simply open a ticket with the LOCKSS Program support team by sending an e-mail to dandelion-support@lockss.org and we will be glad to help!