challenges for web resource preservation, marieke guy, ukoln

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What are the Barriers to Web Resource Preservation?

Marieke Guy, UKOLNJISC-PoWR Workshop

27th June 2008



The Preservation Challenge

• Accessibility and authenticity• Preservation has never been easy• People tend to live in the now• Web resources present additional challenges

So lets look at the excuses…



It’s not a problem…

• Digital resources do degrade– Operating systems are upgraded and existing

applications cease to work– Resources may be dependent on or hosted by external

resources which may disappear– Projects end– Links get broken

• Loss of evidence of institutional activity which is nor recorded elsewhere

• Danger of not doing anything



It’s not a priority….

• We are all suffering from lack of time, expertise and money

• Web services tend to focus on immediate business requirements such as informational requirements, support for staff and e-learning applications

• Institutions often wait for others to take the lead• Web services are often not interested in

preservation while Records Managers are concentrating on other digital resources



It’s not my responsibility…

• Individual Approach– The author of the resource

• Institutional Approach– The publisher of the resource– The institution, the institution’s Library

• National Approach– The Academic Community, Archives, Museums, the

Government– Consortiums e.g. UKWAC

• International Approach– International Organisations e.g Internet Archive

– Commercial companies



It’s complicated…

• The Web is transient and dynamic• Web resource’s lifespan is short • Web publishing is a very easy process • Metadata is very much an afterthought.• There is a need to preserve objects, relationships

and behaviour• There is a gap of understanding between Records

Managers and Web services people• It’s difficult to know how to get started or what to do• Preservation requires a certain skill set



It’s technically complicated…

• The Web is dependant on technology • Cardinality – One or many?• Web resources are usually held on just one server,

so are at greater risk of removal• Areas of the Web are held in problematical CMS

or behind authentication systems • Robots.txt file• Have standards or proprietary formats been used?• Has the technical architecture of the Web site

been documented? • What about Software emulation?



It’s a difficult choice…• Selection can be difficult

• What does a Web site entail? – Public vs private site– Instantiation/snapshot– Code, content or graphical look and feel of site– Full functionality– Preserving the the bits or the essence?

• Is it worth preserving anyway?



It’s a legal minefield…

• Many IPR issues: Copyright, database right, defamation, privacy, FOI

• What about accessibility?• Is my Web site legal today?• Will my Web site be legal tomorrow, if new

legislation is enacted?• Who owns the pages?• What about pages we don’t own?



And what about Web 2.0?

• Use of 3rd party services• Emphasis on collaboration and communication,

rather than access to resources• More resources created by individuals• More complex IPR issues• Richer diversity of services: RSS, syndicated

content

These are issues for another day!



And the quick answer is…

• Need to encourage ownership and institutional responsibility

• Change in culture• Making excuses won’t help• We are here to help!

• More answers in Preservation of Web Resources Part II



Any Questions?

challenges for web resource preservation, marieke guy, ukoln

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