The main findings of the consultation are summarized below, which give an overview of the current practices of web archiving at national libraries, as well as a general impression of the progress in web archiving and specific feedback on Internet Archive’s role and services.
Strategy and organization
Web archiving has become increasingly important in national libraries’ strategy. Many have wanted to own the activity and develop the capability in-house. This requires integration of web archives with the library other collections and the traditional library practice for collection development. Budget cuts and lack of resources were observed at many national libraries, making it difficult to sustain the ongoing development of tools for web archiving.
There is a general frustration about whatsapp lead the content gaps in the web archives. National libraries also have strong desires to collect the portion of Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other social media which is considered as part of their respective national domain. They would also like to leverage web archiving as a complementary collecting tool for digital objects on the web and that are included in web archives such as eBooks, eJournals, music and maps.
Access and research use
National web archives are, in general, poorly used due to access restrictions. Many national libraries wish to support research use of their web archives, by engaging with researchers to understand requirements and eventually embedding web archive collections into the research process.
Reflection on 20 years of web archiving
While there is recognition of the progress in web archiving, there is also a general feeling that the community is stuck with a certain way of doing things without making any significant technological progress in the last ten years, and being outpaced by the fast evolving web.
Perception and expectation of Internet Archive’s services.