Content:
S604 Special Topics on Web Archiving and Preservation, Spring 2019
Online
3 credits
Instructor: Ayoung Yoon
The World Wide Web is the primary delivery mechanism for digital content, and as source of information and knowledge for archivists, the importance of the Web has been indisputable. This course aims to provide knowledge of the role and potential of the Web as a medium and as a source for archival collection development. Archivists working in the Internet world need to be familiar with the tools and appropriate techniques for preservation of information delivered through the “surface” Web (static Web pages, blogs, e-mail discussion lists, etc.) and information that is part of the “deep” Web (e.g., databases, streaming media, and authenticated resources). Once Web content is captured and brought into a preservation environment, preservation administrators are responsible for transforming that content into persistent formats and data structures.
Through lectures on specific topics, analysis of Web archives, and hands-on work, students will gain insight on relevant issues arising from the nature and characteristics of the Web and will learn how to make correct and fruitful use of the Web in their archival work. About half of this course will expose students to existing and emerging tools for capturing Web content, with an emphasis on hands on work and practice using the current generation of Web crawlers. Students will also learn about current preservation formats and how to migrate various types of Web-based content from their native formats to persistent formats.
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