1. Belgium & long term preservation: where are we now ?
SafeNet Workshop

2. Understanding the context…
Belgium is a federal state
Divided into three regions, competent in terms of economics, employment, public works, land use planning, tourism…
SafeNet Workshop 2016

3. Understanding the context…
Belgium is a federal state
Divided into three regions, competent in terms of economics, employment, public works, land use planning, tourism…
But also divided into three communities, depending on the language of its population :
French-speaking Community
Dutch-speaking Community
German-speaking Community
SafeNet Workshop 2016

4. Understanding the context…
Communities are autonomous for all matters relating to :
Education (all levels)
Research
Culture
Health …
SafeNet Workshop 2016

5. Understanding the context…
Communities are autonomous for all matters relating to :
Education (all levels)
Research
Culture
Health …
Universities
SafeNet Workshop 2016
Universities governed :
Under two separated & independent authorities
Following their own general policy
Financing their institutions differently

6. Focus on the French-speaking Community
BICfB
consortium of the French-speaking Universities’libraries (6 universities)
Created in 2000
Goals :
Electronic resources negotiations (public procurement board)
Specific projects concerned with libraries’world
Institutional repositories
DONum : virtual libraries for digitized collections
Studies : ebooks, Open Access…
SafeNet Workshop 2016

7. BICfB & long term preservation
…a permanent goal for the consortium
2003 : creation of a workgroup « shared conservation of periodicals »
Collaboration between libraries for a more effective conservation of « paper » periodicals
Guideline : one title - two reference collections in two institutions - the other free to keep the periodical or not.
: study about perpetual preservation of electronic resources
Goal : to give the consortium guidelines for a long-term preservation of its electronic resources
Conclusion :
Existing solutions are complementary
Among others : use LOCKSS ; support CLOCKSS.
SafeNet Workshop 2016

8. BICfB & long term preservation
…a permanent goal for the consortium
2015 : LOCKSS pilot phase
One LOCKSS box built in one university (UMONS)
Test the installation, management, regular use, contents
Conclusion (May 2016) :
No technical problem : installation, management and use are « easy »
Contents : slight disappointment (but known at the beginning)
Earlier years not always/often available ;
Belgian and more generally, French-speaking publishers not included ;
New plug-ins for new publishers in the GLN take time
UMONS instead advises the consortium to consider the opportunity of a PLN focused on Belgian or local & regional or French-speaking or contents.
SafeNet Workshop 2016

9. BICfB & long term preservation
…a permanent goal for the consortium
2015 : LOCKSS pilot phase
Decision of the consortium
Postpone a general installation of LOCKSS in all institutions
But :
Each institution is free to get on with LOCKSS
Monitor closely LOCKSS’evolution & PLN developments in Europe
Approach Belgian publishers
SafeNet Workshop 2016