LITS Digital Project Sunsetting Policy

The LITS Sunsetting Policy sets forth guidelines, principles, and expectations that govern the lifecycle of digital projects hosted by Library and Information Technology Services (LITS) at Bryn Mawr College. 

Introduction 

Because of rapid technological change and the resource costs of hosting and maintenance, LITS does not provide long-term preservation and access to all digital projects that it hosts.

‘Sunsetting’ is what happens when a digital project has served its function and LITS ends its commitment to maintain and host that project. Sunsetting does not mean failure – most digital projects have a lifespan of up to five years. LITS is committed to supporting projects that may be experimental, performative, or pedagogical in design, and thus fundamentally impermanent: the process of sunsetting enables us to direct resources toward new projects. Finally, project initiators and other stakeholders are responsible for the ongoing life of digital projects, and this policy empowers them to exercise that responsibility and engage in conversations about sustainability and lifespan from early stages of the project.  

The scope of this policy (‘LITS Digital Projects’) includes projects hosted and maintained by LITS, including Digital Bryn Mawr Grant projects, Digital Scholarship projects, and digital exhibitions maintained by Special Collections. It does not include content in Moodle, Triptych (Content DM/Islandora), Bryn Mawr College Repository (Bepress), or Domain of One’s Own sites belonging to individuals.  

This policy is governed by the Bryn Mawr College Digital Preservation Policy (pdf) and Preservation of Scholarly Work Policy. 

Decision to Sunset 

During the early planning stages of LITS-hosted projects, stakeholders and LITS maintainers should discuss the anticipated lifespan and sustainability of the project. As the project ages, LITS maintainers will keep stakeholders informed about any technological or other changes that may affect the project’s lifecycle and periodically reevaluate the project to determine its viability and cost. LITS maintainers will consult with project directors about the sustainability of the functional, public-facing project as well as its content in order to determine not only when to sunset a project but also whether and how its content should be collected, documented, or memorialized by LITS. These decisions will be made according to the Bryn Mawr College Digital Preservation Policy, with reference to the following criteria: 

  • Ongoing value and relevance to users and to the community 
  • Sustainability, stability, and long-term functionality of the project’s technologies 
  • Resource costs of the project in terms of maintenance and server space, weighed against availability of space and staff time/expertise. 
  • Availability of alternatives to LITS hosting and maintenance, including external funding sources and hosting/preservation platforms 

Separation from the College 

When the project director or another key stakeholder of a LITS-hosted project separates from the College, they should consult with LITS staff to determine an appropriate course of action (such as sunsetting, migration, or a transfer of responsibility to LITS staff or other College stakeholders).  

Sunsetting Process

Once LITS staff and other stakeholders have decided to sunset a project, LITS staff will carry out the following tasks: 

  1. Communicate and plan. LITS staff will discuss the decision to sunset with the project director and other key collaborators or stakeholders and establish a timeline that will enable planning for the project’s twilight phase. As needed, LITS staff will consult with stakeholders and future maintainers on options for migration, storage, and memorialization. 
  2. Memorialize. Both LITS staff and other stakeholders may undertake this as appropriate by collecting or documenting the project according to relevance and need. 
  3. Handover. LITS staff will transfer project files, code, documentation, permissions, and anything else necessary for the project director and stakeholders to take over hosting. The project director and stakeholders are responsible for making any migration arrangements. 
  4. Discontinue. LITS staff will disable the public-facing project at the agreed-upon time, including removing files and code from servers, adding redirects, changing sitemaps, and cleaning up. LITS staff will subsequently remove backup copies from LITS storage space after an agreed-upon interval.  

Last reviewed March 4, 2020