Paper summary:
Archiving and preservation of the web is an area that is currently at the forefront of agendas for many cultural heritage institutions throughout the world. The National Library of New Zealand has been undertaking web archiving since 1999. Changes to the National Library of New Zealand Act in 2003 has extended the mandate of legal deposit to also include electronic publications and that of the Alexander Turnbull Library to collect, preserve and make accessible digital material for heritage and research purposes.
Last year, the Turnbull Library harvested websites and blogs during the 2005 election. This paper will focus on the selection and harvesting process of the blogs, and the subsequent appraisal that took place. It will highlight how blogs have become a powerful political tool, how the library recognises their unique place among various kinds of electronic publications and the ways in which they will attempt to be retained and made accessible. It will also highlight the importance and responsibility that lies with cultural heritage institutions to ensure that new forms of information are preserved and made accessible for future generations, to provide an accurate representation of culture and history.
Presenter profile:
Vanita Lala is an E-Publications Selector at the National Library of New Zealand. Having completed a Masters in Library and Information Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, she has worked in various library and information management roles, primarily within the public service, before joining the Turnbull Library in this newly created role. At the Turnbull she is working in the area of web archiving and is part of the team working towards “collecting, preserving and making accessible digital material for heritage and research purposes”. She is also involved in blogging within the music community in Wellington – niceup.blogspot.com.