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WebArchivist.org
Research Group Site: http://webarchivist.org
Digital Ventures has worked with WebArchivist.org so that WebArchivist
scholars can allow their colleagues in academic institutions access to their
software and other research material, while retaining the opportunity for
the project to continue its research activities. The collaborative and archival
nature of the WebArchivist.org research goals also posed some interesting
challenges for copyright and intellectual property management.
Description
WebArchivist.org provides a platform for identifying, collecting, cataloguing
and analyzing large-scale archives of Web objects. The platform is based on
a suite of software tools and techniques for collaborative Web-based research,
including the collection, analysis, and presentation of materials, and the provision
of public access to metadata and archived materials. It also provides support
for instructional activities associated with archived Web materials, including
student-produced Web sites requiring repeated evaluation.
In producing an archive, digital materials for a Web sphere (a collection
of Web sites related to a specific event or subject, created over a specific
time period) are identified, archived and catalogued along with associated
metadata. A Web sphere collection may be analyzed for publications and
presentations in professional and scholarly settings using standard analysis
tools measuring the breadth and scope of the sphere, as well as the emergence
of features and structures enabling social, political, and communicative
action within the sphere.
Current Projects
A few of the notable Web sphere projects in which WebArchivist.org has participated
are:
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Post 9/11 Web
(september11.archive.org)
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This Web sphere project included the identification of approximately
25,000 potentially relevant sites; collection of daily impressions
and analysis of potentially relevant sites between September 11,
2001 and December 1, 2001. WebArchivist.org contributions included
site identification, cataloging, analysis, and the creation of reports
examining the Web responses of government, religious and individual
citizen site producers. Created in partnership with the Library
of Congress and the Internet Archive and supported by the Pew Internet
and American Life Project and the Library of Congress.
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Election 2002
(www.politicalweb.info)
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This Web sphere project entailed identification and daily collection
of about 3,000 election-relevant sites over a 120 day period; the
production of a Web site featuring reports and analysis of an emerging
political Web sphere and a publicly accessible archive of candidate
Web sites. Created in partnership with the Library of Congress and
the Internet Archive and funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and
the Library of Congress. Additionally WebArchivist.org has also
looked at Web sites related to the 2001 mayoral elections in New
York City, Minneapolis and Seattle as well as the 2002 Netherlands
Election in collaboration with Dutch scholars.
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Development Background
WebArchivist.org represents a true partnership, between Dr.
Steven Schneider of the State University of New York (SUNY) Institute of
Technology and Dr. Kirsten A. Foot
of the University of Washington Department of Communication. Dr. Foot and Dr.
Schneider met as research fellows at the Annenberg
Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania where they analyzed
the role of the Web in the 2000 U.S. elections. They founded WebArchivist.org
in 2001 to continue their digital scholarship of the Web. The mission of WebArchivist.org
is to develop systems for identifying, collecting, cataloguing, and analyzing
large-scale archives of Web objects.
Future Goals
To date, software created by the WebArchivist.org team has not been licensed.
However, UW and SUNY are planning to provide access to the software for
other organizations to create their own archives. WebArchivist.org also
plans to make their own archives available to scholars for research purposes.
Digital Ventures' Role
The WebArchivist.org research project presented several challenges. First,
as WebArchivist.org is a cross-institutional organization, it was necessary
for Digital Ventures to help the principal investigators set up rights management
documentation and begin work on virtual by-laws between SUNY and the UW. Second,
the type of digital archives created by WebArchivist.org pose interesting challenges
in terms of copyright issues. Digital Ventures has also helped the WebArchivist.org
research group think strategically about how to manage all rights related to
their research, distribute their software, and how to provide access to Web
archives.
Contact
Kirsten A. Foot, Assistant Professor
Department of Communication
University of Washington
Phone: (206) 543-4837
E-mail: kfoot@u.washington.edu
Selected News articles about WebArchivist.org
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