Web Archive Wales

 

Background

 

The National Library of Wales is the memory of the nation. Traditionally it has collected, preserved and provided access to a wide variety of formats such as books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts and archives, maps, paintings, drawings and prints, photographs, sound and moving images. During the last few years electronic media have accounted for an increasing percentage of the material that the Library receives, and we now face the enormous challenge of how to preserve and protect the digital memory of Wales. With this in view, the Library drew up its Digital Preservation Policy and Strategy in 2008.

As a result of the huge increase in Internet use over the last few years, more and more material is appearing on the World Wide Web, with some 'publications' only appearing in virtual form and often for a finite period of time. It is imperative therefore that we take steps today to ensure that we will be able to see and access these Web sites in years to come. The Web Archive Wales pilot project has been established to evaluate the best ways of creating and maintaining an archive of Web materials of Welsh interest and providing access to these sites.

 

 

Web Archive Wales pilot project

 

The project commenced in June 2003 and will run for a year initially. We will be integrating the findings of the project in the Library's procedures in the future. The Library is also working with partners such as the British Library, JISC and the Wellcome Foundation, on a UK Web archiving project.

 

 

Project aims

 

• To select and capture a representative sample of 100 Web sites, and develop procedures for future selection, capture, description, preservation and access.

 

 

Some project objectives:

 

• To select 100 Web sites of Welsh interest and develop selection criteria
• To capture Web sites using appropriate software
• To describe these Web sites according to appropriate standards
• To create metadata for long-term preservation purposes
• To develop work flow processes
• To evaluate Web-capturing software
• To document the findings of the project
• To collaborate as a partner in the UK Web Archive project
• To collaborate and co-operate with individuals and organisations active in the field of digital preservation

For more information about Web Archive Wales email ukwac@llgc.org.uk.

 

 

Useful links

 

Web archiving

 

PANDORA
Preserving and Accessing Networked Documentary Resources of Australia. The National Library of Australia's web archive.
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/index.html

Collecting and preserving the World Wide Web: A feasibility study undertaken for the JISC and Wellcome Trust.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/archiving_feasibility.pdf

Legal issues relating to the archiving of Internet resources in the UK, EU, USA and Australia: A study undertaken for the JISC and Wellcome Trust.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/archiving_legal.pdf

Internet Archive
A digital library of Internet sites dating back to October 1996.
http://www.archive.org/index.php

 

 

Digital preservation

 

The National Library of Wales's digital preservation policy and strategy
http://www.llgc.org.uk/adrodd/digital_preservation_policy_and_strategy.pdf

Digital Preservation Coalition
A coalition set up in 2001 to secure the preservation of digital resources in the UK and to work with others internationally to secure our global digital memory and knowledge base.
http://www.dpconline.org/graphics/

PADI
Preserving Access to Digital Information - a subject gateway to digital preservation resources established by the National Library of Australia.
http://www.nla.gov.au/padi/index.html

RLG and Preservation: Long-term Retention of Digital Research Materials.
The RLG's initiative on digital preservation.
http://www.rlg.org/longterm/