Web Preservation, or Managing your Organisation’s Online Presence After the Organisation Ceases to Exist
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The document discusses strategies for preserving web content when an organization, specifically UKOLN, faced closure after decades of operation. It highlights the importance of maintaining digital memories through various tools and services, addressing challenges in web preservation, and the roles individuals and institutions play in this process. Lessons learned emphasize the need for proactive measures, continuous content refreshment, and collaboration among stakeholders to ensure valuable resources are not lost.
![The IWMW Blog
Derek Law’s reflection
on his IWMW 2009
plenary talk:
• Link to post about
talk is now to a
marketing page
[Risk – professionals
repurpose old content]
• JISC PoWR blog
has closed
[Risk – blog service
provider at
jiscinvolve.org could
terminate service]
39
Closed using
described practices
“So the challenge for Brian and his remarkable array of
colleagues is to keep the faith, keep proselytising and make
sure that the links to this 20th birthday set of blog posts blog
posts still work when the 25th birthday comes along!”](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/irms-2016-web-preservation-kelly-160511184730/85/Web-Preservation-or-Managing-your-Organisation-s-Online-Presence-After-the-Organisation-Ceases-to-Exist-39-320.jpg)
Web Preservation, or Managing your Organisation’s Online Presence After the Organisation Ceases to Exist
- 1. Web Preservation, or Managing your Organisation’s Online Presence After the Organisation Ceases to Exist IRMS 2016 conference, Brighton on 15-17 May 2016 Brian Kelly Independent researcher/consultant at UK Web Focus Ltd. Contact Details Brian Kelly Email: [email protected] Twitter: @briankelly Blog: http://ukwebfocus.com/ Slides and further information available at http://ukwebfocus.com/events/irms-2016-web-preservation/ UK Web Focus Event hashtag: #irms16 View slides & abstract at http://bit.ly/irms16-kelly Tweet comments using #irms16 #kelly
- 2. 2 2 You are free to: copy, share, adapt, or re-mix; photograph, film, or broadcast; blog, live-blog, or post video of this presentation provided that: You attribute the work to its author and respect the rights and licences associated with its components. Idea from Cameron Neylon c Slide Concept by Cameron Neylon, who has waived all copyright and related or neighbouring rights. This slide only CCZero. Social Media Icons adapted with permission from originals by Christopher Ross. Original images are available under GPL at: http://www.thisismyurl.com/free-downloads/15-free-speech-bubble-icons-for-popular-websites Your comments may be useful in evaluation & subsequent reflections on this talk
- 3. Abstract Abstract Your organisation has failed to survive cutbacks and will shortly close. Public sector organisations may feel responsibilities for ensuring that information about their activities is not lost if their organisation is closed down. This talk summarises approaches taken to managing web content provided by UKOLN, a national centre of expertise in digital information management at the University of Bath, which closed in July 2015. UKOLN existed for 30+ years and had an important role to play in development of online services for the UK’s higher education sector. This case study summarises approaches taken to minimising loss of this history. Learning Outcomes: 1. Strategies for managing the termination of online services 2. Useful tools and services 3. Addressing the challenges and opportunities provide by social media services 3
- 4. In Other Words … This talk describes: • Steps taken over ~6 months to ensure web products were not lost after cessation of funding • Approaches taken in updating content • Services used • Understanding of risks 4 What did we want to preserve? • Documents e.g. PDFs • Web resources (web sites) • Software • Ease of access to online content (e.g. functional links, Google juice, …) • Audiences, communities, … • Resources which could inform stories
- 5. We Know About Web Preservation! Web preservation services are available: • UK Web Archive • Internet Archive What does this talk have to add? 5
- 6. Focus Of This Talk This talk addresses: • Web preservation challenges when an organisation is to be closed • Motivational issues for preserving web products • Perspectives from higher education: Moves towards open access; open practices; … Blurring between social & professional online services Increasing important of online services hosted beyond the institution The talk provides: • Summary of pragmatic approaches • A real-world case study • Suggestions on who the “Information Superheroes who enable business excellence” may be 6
- 7. Funding Will Cease on 31 July 2013! Background: • Jisc announce cessation of core funding for UKOLN in Dec 2012 • 7 months to manage web preservation work Challenges: • What to do; how to do it! • Why should I do it?! Outcomes: • Preservation work completed • rUKOLN subsequently folded (July 2015) 7 http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/
- 8. Why Bother? x 8 What do I care about web preservation? I’ve lost my job, I’ve bills to pay, I don’t know if I’ll get another job, … Image from pixabay.com Available under a CC-0 licence
- 9. Motivating Factors About UKOLN • Established in 1977 • A centre of expertise in digital information management • Funded by JISC and MLA (and predecessors) • A national centre with an international reputation • Influential in early digital library work in UK (eLib programme); metadata (Dublin Core); digital preservation (!); … About UKOLN Staff: • Many looking to continue work in digital library environment post-UKOLN • “Will evidence of my professional work disappear?” 9 30th anniversary event held at the British Library in 2008
- 10. Disappearing Content Web content can disappear for various reasons: • It’s no longer aligned with current policies • It’s embarrassing • It’s illegal • … 10 Painting of famous photograph (which cannot be shown) Organisations may have online content of value to others which they would prefer to vanish In this case MySociety have republished Conservative & Labour party speeches
- 11. Learning From Doctor Who! “The Doctor Who missing episodes are the portions of the long-running British science-fiction television programme Doctor Who no longer held by the BBC. Between 1967 and 1978 the BBC routinely deleted archive programmes, for various practical reasons (lack of space, scarcity of materials, a lack of rebroadcast rights).” 11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Doctor_Who_missing_episodes Hobbyists, working under the radar, to the rescue!
- 12. Learning From Doctor Who! “The Doctor Who missing episodes are the portions of the long-running British science-fiction television programme Doctor Who no longer held by the BBC. Between 1967 and 1978 the BBC routinely deleted archive programmes, for various practical reasons (lack of space, scarcity of materials, a lack of rebroadcast rights).” 12 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Doctor_Who_missing_episodes Hobbyists, working under the radar, to the rescue!
- 13. Why We Can’t Rely on the Funders Ownership of online content: • Typically managed by marketing • Being positive • Looking to the future • “If web content is not relevant to current strategy it must go!” 13 For example consider the eFramework • A “visionary new initiative” • Gained international support (New Zealand & Netherlands)
- 14. The eframework.org Site Today Issues: • Learning (from apparent failures) Preservation of: • Content (beyond news items) • Provence (who funded / carried out work) • Significant dates (when started; when partners joined; when work finished) • Why it stopped: technical reasons? politics? funding? … • What can be learnt from this? 14
- 15. Approaches Taken At UKOLN Summary of approaches published on 29 July 2013: • Identifying UKOLN’s web assets and the owner. • Preparing the content so that it was suitable for preservation. • Submitting details of web resources to UK Web Archive. • Liaison with UK Web Archive to ensure that resources successfully archived. Looking back: • Uncertainties of rUKOLN continuation (lasted for 2 years) • Assess and manage risks of dependencies (technical & organisational) • Addressing motivational issues • Continuation of preservation activities • Sharing experiences with others (today!) 15
- 16. UKOLN Projects 16 UKOLN A-Z of projects and activities page used as (public) list of archiving work Note some activities may have continued after cessation of Jisc funding and continuation of UKOLN at reduced staffing levels (e.g. Ariadne ejournal)
- 17. UKOLN Projects 17 Typical archived site: • Status clearly visible on home page • Content updated where possible (removed ‘will’; years for events included; …) • Summary of archiving approaches documented • Audit provided • Links provided to significant resources • Information on key contributors provided • Links to archive copies provided
- 18. Second Example QA Focus project web site • Migrate key reports to more trusted environment (Bath Uni repository) • Summarise licences for reuse • Describe technical architecture (and remove ‘dynamic’ aspects; search interfaces: …) 18 Note much of this work was carried out when the project funding finished in 2012, as an example of best practice on project termination (QA for mothballing project sites)
- 19. Trusted Hosting Agencies The content has been updated. What happens next? Papers • Ensure key papers are migrated to Opus, University of Bath institutional repository • Update links to point to copy on Opus Web sites • Explore resources which are available on Internet Archive and provide links • Submit content to UK Web Archive • Discussions with local computer service. Agreement to mirror content to new server and maintain static web site with existing URLs Software • Notification of closure of online services (analysis of incoming links & usage patterns) • Software deposited in repositories e.g. Google Code 19
- 20. When Things Go Wrong The UKOLN IRG Web site: • Continuation of UKOLN work after cessation of core funding • Ceased 2 year’s later due to lack of continuation funding, departure of director, lack of technical expertise • Web site migrated to static mirror hosted locally, but … 20 http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/
- 21. When Things Go Wrong The UKOLN IRG Web site: • Continuation of UKOLN work after cessation of core funding • Ceased 2 year’s later due to lack of continuation funding, departure of director, lack of technical expertise • Web site migrated to static mirror hosted locally, but … • Link is to a dynamic page: http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/index. html?p=2206.html 21 http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/ http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/index.html%3Fp=2206.html
- 22. When Things Go Wrong Let’s Google the missing page - “New UKOLN Informatics news site”: • A static version of page exists • Nobody would know this! • Need to preserve links and not just content! • Don’t use http://www.foo.com/?p=nnn 22 http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/ Note also problems accessing http://ukoln.ac.uk/ Mirroring processes may not know about redirects & other server configuration options http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/2013/12/09/new-ukoln-informatics-news-site/
- 23. When Things Go Wrong A UKOLN IRG project: Ran from October 2011 to July 2013 Project reports hosted on Bath repository Staff list provided Link provided by project blog, hosted by Bath University (not in-house) 23 http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/
- 24. When Things Go Wrong Research 360 blog hosted by Bath University: • After(?) UKOLN demise blog deleted and link provided to copy on Internet Archive • Most recent copy taken on 25 April 2014 24 http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/
- 25. When Things Go Wrong Research 360 blog hosted by Bath University: • After(?) UKOLN demise blog deleted and link provided to copy on Internet Archive • 20 copies taken between 2012 and 2014 • Most recent copy taken on 25 April 2014 25 http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/
- 26. When Things Go Wrong Internet Archive copy, Oct 2013. Looks good! 26 Internet Archive copy, April 2013. Looks different. Branding, blog theme & site navigation changed.
- 27. When Things Go Wrong Archived copy from 24 April 2014 … 27 linked to About page archived on 21 April 2013 Archived copies held on Internet Archive may be incomplete, missing images and inconsistent
- 28. Opus University of Bath’s institutional repository, Opus: • Hosts many of UKOLN’s important publications • Provides a CV of research-like outputs 28 http://opus.bath.ac.uk/view/person_id/588.html Apparently I have 81 items – but 1 (at least) isn’t mine! Note: • Open access papers held in several places (LOCKS) • Location unknown for papers with strict copyright
- 29. Opus University of Bath’s institutional repository, Opus: • Hosts many of UKOLN’s important publications • Provides a list of UKOLN staff & their outputs But: • Only some have their own CV page • Others don’t: Left ages ago Left recently http://http://opus.bath.ac.uk/view/divisions/cent=5Fukoln.html Problems probably due to bugs rather than policy
- 30. 30 Take Control of Your CV! Background: • IR profile pages have disappeared • No longer access to IR • IR is now a read-only silo Decision: • Use Researchgate (and Academia.edu) to list publications Then: • Use them to host papers • Control regained over content & presentation • Richer functionality
- 31. Events IWMW (Institutional Web Management Workshop) launched in 1997 • 20th anniversary this year • 16 years of event web site hosted on UKOLN site Thoughts: • Not research • But evidence of 17 years of development of institutional web services in UK HE • My main area of work over 20 years! 31 Content at risk. Need to preserve content and contextualise experiences
- 32. IWMW Content IWMW resources • Hosted on UK Web Archive • Not fully functional • Not maintainable 32
- 33. IWMW Content IWMW content migrated to Lanyrd • Timetable • Abstracts • Speaker details Content provided for recent post-UKOLN events Plus links to: • Speaker slides • Twitter archives (where available) • Other related resources 33
- 34. IWMW Content IWMW content migrated to Lanyrd • Timetable • Abstracts • Speaker details • Other related resources 34 Slides uploaded to Slideshare and embedded in Lanyrd pages
- 35. Twotter Captioning Links from Lanyrd entry to resources for Chris Sexton’s plenary at IWMW 2010: • Slides hosted on Slideshare • Video of talk on Vimeo • Twitter commentary of videos on iTitle service by Martin Hawksey, ALT 35 Long-term access to this information is uncertain. Record of what was done described on UK Web Focus blog
- 36. Slideshare Repository 36 (Most) slides from IWMW events hosted on UKOLN web site since 1997 uploaded to Slideshare. Note to facilitate discoverability: • Slides embedded in Lanyrd • Use of tags (iwmw1997) Only PPT & PDF files uploaded (not HTML, etc!)
- 37. Writing The Book Who will be able to write about 25 years of edtech developments in UK HE? 37 Compare challenges of writing 400+ page history of the JANET network, published by JANET, with writing one on the history of web developments in UK HE,
- 38. The IWMW Blog 38 Some questions: • What’s the point of preservation? • What’s missing beyond resources? My thoughts: • Understand the past in order to plan for the future • But we need the context and reflections Hence establishment of IWMW blog, for 20th anniversary of event
- 39. The IWMW Blog Derek Law’s reflection on his IWMW 2009 plenary talk: • Link to post about talk is now to a marketing page [Risk – professionals repurpose old content] • JISC PoWR blog has closed [Risk – blog service provider at jiscinvolve.org could terminate service] 39 Closed using described practices “So the challenge for Brian and his remarkable array of colleagues is to keep the faith, keep proselytising and make sure that the links to this 20th birthday set of blog posts blog posts still work when the 25th birthday comes along!”
- 40. The Individual’s Perspective We should all expect to lose access to our institutional digital environment! 40 We should therefore make plans for migrating content from institutional silos!
- 41. Where Did My Work Go?! Developer / researcher: • Worked at Bristol University • Evidence of research work available (publications) • Online legacy is harder to find 41
- 42. “The Individual as Institution” Importance of individual as agent for preservation 42 Individual as Institution, Lawrie : converged blog, Lawrie Phipps, 7 May 2013, http://lawriephipps.co.uk/?p=199
- 43. After Institutional The Need For Individual … Jisc focus on institutional digital preservation issues Others address personal digital preservation Gaps for individual in: • An institutional perspective • An UK context • A HE context • A research context 43
- 44. Revisiting the Learning Outcomes Learning Outcomes: 1. Strategies for managing termination of online services Update content (provide context; removal of problematic links & services; …) 2. Useful tools and services UK Web Archive & Internet Archive Institutional Repository Research repositories; Slideshare; Lanyrd; … 3. Addressing the challenges and opportunities provide by social media services Opportunities to complement institutional, national & international services 44
- 45. Who are the information superheroes who will ensure that UK’s higher education digital memories are maintained for future generations? • The British Library • The research councils • The funders • The digital preservation services • The institutions • The motivated professionals • The staff who support the motivated professionals and help shape institutional policies who embrace the role of the “individual as institution” The Information Superheros 45
- 46. Conclusions Preservation of UKOLN resources • A learning journey (doing the work and then reflecting on the work) • Just letting the Internet Archive to archive your site isn’t sufficient (but can be useful) • Submitting your site to the UK Web Archive is useful, but not sufficient by itself • Management of mothballing sites should be carried out routinely • Motivational factors are important • Importance of ‘refreshing’ content, especially by motivated professionals • Need to consider implications of “Individual as institution” – by both individuals and institutions! • An ongoing process with multiple key stakeholders! 46
- 47. Questions? 47
Editor's Notes
- #48: I’d welcome questions and comments. Note that I’ve published a blog post on which can be used for questions. Thank you.