Oldies But Goodies: Archiving Web- Based Information

Oldies But Goodies: Archiving Web- Based Information

Web archiving

Phyllis Holman Weisbard discusses the ways of archiving web-based information. With so much former print versions of materials now available electronically, what she focuses on is how material that never had a print version (born digitals) are in the most danger of disappearing. Web domains lapse, e-zines lose funding and as a result their materials disappear. Weisbard focuses her attention on the Internet Archive and pays particular attention to its Wayback Machine. Wayback crawls through millions of websites (using Alexa software) and saves versions of these sites. She then turns her attention to web archiving projects that focus solely on women. She gives URLs for a blog resource on women’s voices, describes Aletta, Institute for Women’s History, and how the staff has created hundreds of items of women’s e-zines and newsletters, LOCKSS, and Portico (other initiatives dedicated to preserving the writings of women). This article has information on web archiving technology focusing on preserving women’s writings. Weisbard’s article shows visuals of each site so you can examine each interface. Her essay is a call to action for Women’s Studies scholars to be more proactive in preserving of these female voices by working in collaboration with librarians and archivists.

Weisbard, Phyllis Holman

2011

Elena Rogalle

Journal article

Weisbard, Phyllis Holman. "Oldies But Goodies: Archiving Web- Based Information." Feminist Collections: A Quarterly Of Women's Studies Resources 32 (2011): 14-20.