ExnihilioGate🐘🌙

Yesterday, our rebrand launch included a subtle but powerful update: Continuum, an initiative to align the permanent internet with recognized digital preservation standards. @ArweaveEco is already recognized by many as the gold standard for enduring storage. With nearly eight years of proven durability, it stands as the strongest candidate for a true permanent digital library. Now with the maturity of @ar_io_network, the full stack is in place - enduring storage paired with verifiable, reliable access. The next step is communicating these capabilities in terms that archives, libraries, and research communities already use. Imagine an archive that:  - never breaks links or loses records  - remains open access, with no paywalls or subscription risk  - stays citable forever, with identifiers that consistently resolve  - preserves content and provenance in the same immutable record  - stays online even if platforms, publishers, or institutions shift  - allows anyone to verify the authenticity of what they’re viewing Continuum begins as a framework that maps decentralized permanent storage protocols to the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) standard - using its terminology and responsibilities to show clear alignment. To demonstrate this in practice, we worked with Professor Scott Jacques [@SJacques83] of Georgia State and @CrimConsortium to document the framework and to build a Continuum-aligned archive of the CrimRxiv criminology research repository. @CrimRxiv has been hosted on PubPub, which is scheduled to sunset at the end of this year due to funding challenges. Without action, its community would lose access to the material. The Continuum pilot preserves the full archive on the Permaweb with permanent identifiers, verifiable provenance, and resilient access through the ar.io. The Ask It’s still early days for this initiative, and we want to treat this proposal with the care it deserves. We welcome feedback from researchers, archivists, and digital preservation officers as we continue refining both the messaging and the solutions. If Continuum aligns with your principles - or if you’re a steward of an existing at-risk archive - we’d like to hear from you. We also have storage grants available for pilot projects and can help address questions or concerns about standards, workflows, or implementation. Details, the framework paper, pilot demo, and contact information are available on: - ar.io/continuum/ - ar.io/case-studies/crimrxiv/ Please help share this with anyone who may be interested or working with us!