MetaArchive Cooperative’s Sunset + ‘Composted’ Resources
Educopia Communications
(Apologies for cross posting, you might see this message on other lists you're subscribed to).
We’re writing with a reflection on the MetaArchive Cooperative, which formally sunset as of March 31, 2025. While the Cooperative concluded operations, its legacy continues to inform digital preservation practice through what we're calling ‘composted' resources—tools, documentation, and learnings designed to nourish future projects and practitioners.
For more than two decades, MetaArchive helped to pioneer collaborative, community-led digital preservation. Its distributed network model, developed and sustained by a committed membership, demonstrated a powerful alternative to centralized systems. MetaArchive’s sunset process, guided by its Transformation Research Team, Educopia, and the LOCKSS Program, has been a thoughtful and transparent effort, only made possible by the support of its membership. The goal for all stakeholders was clear: to execute a responsible and intentional sunset that honored the Cooperative's values and ensured that the accumulated knowledge and experience of its members would continue to benefit digital preservation practitioners and the field at large.
Educopia, as MetaArchive’s former fiscal sponsor, will maintain key resources for future reference:
The MetaArchive website has been deactivated. Redirects have been set up for a year, directing traffic from the old URL to a page on Educopia’s website that summarizes MetaArchive’s legacy, transition journey and milestones, quick links, and resources—which will continue to be updated with materials like recordings and presentations reflecting on the transition
Other composted materials include:
GitHub repository of code and documentation related to the technical operation of the MetaArchive network
Educopia and the Cooperative’s former members look forward to continuing the important work of knowledge preservation, knowledge equity, and collective action. If you have any questions or would like more information about the transition, please feel free to reach out to us!
View our 2025 seasonal office closure calendar