Web Preservation, or Managing your Organisation’s Online Presence After the Organisation Ceases to ExistIRMS 2016 conference, Brighton on 15-17 May 2016Brian KellyIndependent researcher/consultant at UK Web Focus Ltd.

Contact DetailsBrian KellyEmail: ukwebfocus@gmail.comTwitter: @briankellyBlog: http://ukwebfocus.com/

Slides and further information available athttp://ukwebfocus.com/events/irms-2016-web-preservation/

UK Web Focus Event hashtag: #irms16

View slides & abstract at http://bit.ly/irms16-kellyTweet comments using #irms16 #kelly

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AbstractAbstractYour organisation has failed to survive cutbacks and will shortly close. Public sector organisations may feel responsibilities for ensuring that information about their activities is not lost if their organisation is closed down. This talk summarises approaches taken to managing web content provided by UKOLN, a national centre of expertise in digital information management at the University of Bath, which closed in July 2015. UKOLN existed for 30+ years and had an important role to play in development of online services for the UK’s higher education sector. This case study summarises approaches taken to minimising loss of this history. Learning Outcomes: 1. Strategies for managing the termination of online

services 2. Useful tools and services 3. Addressing the challenges and opportunities provide by

social media services

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In Other Words …This talk describes:

• Steps taken over ~6 months to ensure web products were not lost after cessation of funding

• Approaches taken in updating content • Services used• Understanding of risks

What did we want to preserve?• Documents e.g. PDFs • Web resources (web sites)• Software• Ease of access to online content (e.g. functional

links, Google juice, …)• Audiences, communities, …• Resources which could inform stories

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We Know About Web Preservation!

Web preservation services are available:• UK Web

Archive• Internet

ArchiveWhat does this talk have to add?

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Focus Of This TalkThis talk addresses:

• Web preservation challenges when an organisation is to be closed

• Motivational issues for preserving web products• Perspectives from higher education:

Moves towards open access; open practices; … Blurring between social & professional online

services Increasing important of online services hosted

beyond the institutionThe talk provides:

• Summary of pragmatic approaches• A real-world case study• Suggestions on who the “Information Superheroes

who enable business excellence” may be

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Funding Will Cease on 31 July 2013!

Background:• Jisc announce cessation

of core funding for UKOLN in Dec 2012

• 7 months to manage web preservation work

Challenges:• What to do; how to do

it!• Why should I do it?!

Outcomes:• Preservation work

completed• rUKOLN subsequently

folded (July 2015)http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/

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Why Bother?xWhat do I care about web

preservation? I’ve lost my job, I’ve bills to pay, I don’t

know if I’ll get another job, …

Image from pixabay.com Available under a CC-0 licence

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Motivating FactorsAbout UKOLN

• Established in 1977• A centre of expertise in

digital information management• Funded by JISC and MLA (and predecessors)• A national centre with an international reputation• Influential in early digital library work in UK (eLib

programme); metadata (Dublin Core); digital preservation (!); …

About UKOLN Staff:• Many looking to continue work in digital library

environment post-UKOLN• “Will evidence of my professional work

disappear?”

30th anniversary event held at the British Library in 2008

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Disappearing Content

Web content can disappear for various reasons:

• It’s no longer aligned with current policies

• It’s embarrassing• It’s illegal• …

Painting of famous photograph (which cannot be shown)

Organisations may have online content of value to others which they would prefer to vanishIn this case MySociety have republished Conservative & Labour party speeches

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Learning From Doctor Who!“The Doctor Who missing episodes are the portions of the long-running British science-fiction television programme Doctor Who no longer held by the BBC. Between 1967 and 1978 the BBC routinely deleted archive programmes, for various practical reasons (lack of space, scarcity of materials, a lack of rebroadcast rights).”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who_missing_episodes

Hobbyists, working under the radar, to the rescue!

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Learning From Doctor Who!“The Doctor Who missing episodes are the portions of the long-running British science-fiction television programme Doctor Who no longer held by the BBC. Between 1967 and 1978 the BBC routinely deleted archive programmes, for various practical reasons (lack of space, scarcity of materials, a lack of rebroadcast rights).”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who_missing_episodes

Hobbyists, working under the radar, to the rescue!

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Why We Can’t Rely on the Funders

Ownership of online content:

• Typically managed by marketing

• Being positive• Looking to the future• “If web content is

not relevant to current strategy it must go!”For example consider the

eFramework• A “visionary new initiative” • Gained international

support (New Zealand & Netherlands)

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The eframework.org Site Today

Issues:• Learning (from apparent

failures)Preservation of:

• Content (beyond news items)

• Provence (who funded / carried out work)

• Significant dates (when started; when partners joined; when work finished)

• Why it stopped: technical reasons? politics? funding? …

• What can be learnt from this?

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Approaches Taken At UKOLNSummary of approaches published on 29 July 2013:

• Identifying UKOLN’s web assets and the owner.

• Preparing the content so that it was suitable for preservation.

• Submitting details of web resources to UK Web Archive.

• Liaison with UK Web Archive to ensure that resources successfully archived.

Looking back:• Uncertainties of rUKOLN continuation

(lasted for 2 years)• Assess and manage risks of

dependencies (technical & organisational)

• Addressing motivational issues• Continuation of preservation activities• Sharing experiences with others (today!)

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UKOLN Projects UKOLN A-Z of projects and activities page used as (public) list of archiving workNote some activities may have continued after cessation of Jisc funding and continuation of UKOLN at reduced staffing levels (e.g. Ariadne ejournal)

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UKOLN ProjectsTypical archived site:

• Status clearly visible on home page

• Content updated where possible (removed ‘will’; years for events included; …)

• Summary of archiving approaches documented

• Audit provided• Links provided to

significant resources• Information on key

contributors provided• Links to archive

copies provided

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Second Example QA Focus project web site

• Migrate key reports to more trusted environment (Bath Uni repository)

• Summarise licences for reuse

• Describe technical architecture (and remove ‘dynamic’ aspects; search interfaces: …)

Note much of this work was carried out when the project funding finished in 2012, as an example of best practice on project termination (QA for mothballing project sites)

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Trusted Hosting AgenciesThe content has been updated. What happens next?Papers

• Ensure key papers are migrated to Opus, University of Bath institutional repository

• Update links to point to copy on OpusWeb sites

• Explore resources which are available on Internet Archive and provide links

• Submit content to UK Web Archive• Discussions with local computer service. Agreement to

mirror content to new server and maintain static web site with existing URLs

Software• Notification of closure of online services (analysis of

incoming links & usage patterns)• Software deposited in repositories e.g. Google Code

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When Things Go WrongThe UKOLN IRG Web site:• Continuation of

UKOLN work after cessation of core funding

• Ceased 2 year’s later due to lack of continuation funding, departure of director, lack of technical expertise

• Web site migrated to static mirror hosted locally, but …

http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/

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When Things Go WrongThe UKOLN IRG Web site:• Continuation of UKOLN

work after cessation of core funding

• Ceased 2 year’s later due to lack of continuation funding, departure of director, lack of technical expertise

• Web site migrated to static mirror hosted locally, but …

• Link is to a dynamic page: http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/index.html?p=2206.html

http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/

http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/index.html%3Fp=2206.html

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When Things Go WrongLet’s Google the missing page - “New UKOLN Informatics news site”:• A static version

of page exists • Nobody would

know this!• Need to preserve

links and not just content!

• Don’t use http://www.foo.com/?p=nnn

http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/

Note also problems accessing http://ukoln.ac.uk/Mirroring processes may not know about redirects & other server configuration options

http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/2013/12/09/new-ukoln-informatics-news-site/

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When Things Go WrongA UKOLN IRG project: Ran from

October 2011 to July 2013

Project reports hosted on Bath repository

Staff list provided

Link provided by project blog, hosted by Bath University (not in-house)

http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/

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When Things Go WrongResearch 360 blog hosted by Bath University:• After(?) UKOLN

demise blog deleted and link provided to copy on Internet Archive

• Most recent copy taken on 25 April 2014

http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/

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When Things Go WrongResearch 360 blog hosted by Bath University:• After(?) UKOLN

demise blog deleted and link provided to copy on Internet Archive

• 20 copies taken between 2012 and 2014

• Most recent copy taken on 25 April 2014

http://irg.ukoln.ac.uk/

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When Things Go Wrong

Internet Archive copy, Oct 2013.Looks good!

Internet Archive copy, April 2013.Looks different. Branding, blog theme & site navigation changed.

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When Things Go Wrong

Archived copy from 24 April 2014 …

linked to About page archived on 21 April 2013

Archived copies held on Internet Archive may be incomplete, missing images and inconsistent

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Opus University of Bath’s institutional repository, Opus:

• Hosts many of UKOLN’s important publications

• Provides a CV of research-like outputs

http://opus.bath.ac.uk/view/person_id/588.html

Apparently I have 81 items – but 1 (at least) isn’t mine!

Note:• Open access papers held in

several places (LOCKS)• Location unknown for

papers with strict copyright

Opus University of Bath’s institutional repository, Opus:

• Hosts many of UKOLN’s important publications

• Provides a list of UKOLN staff & their outputs

But:• Only some have

their own CV page

• Others don’t: Left ages ago Left recently

http://http://opus.bath.ac.uk/view/divisions/cent=5Fukoln.html

Problems probably due to bugs rather than policy

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Take Control of Your CV!Background:

• IR profile pages have disappeared

• No longer access to IR • IR is now a read-only

siloDecision:

• Use Researchgate (and Academia.edu) to list publications

Then:• Use them to host

papers• Control regained over

content & presentation

• Richer functionality

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Events IWMW (Institutional Web Management Workshop) launched in 1997

• 20th anniversary this year• 16 years of event web

site hosted on UKOLN siteThoughts:

• Not research • But evidence of 17 years

of development of institutional web services in UK HE

• My main area of work over 20 years!

Content at risk. Need to preserve content and contextualise experiences

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IWMW ContentIWMW resources

• Hosted on UK Web Archive

• Not fully functional• Not maintainable

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IWMW ContentIWMW content migrated to Lanyrd

• Timetable• Abstracts• Speaker details

Content provided for recent post-UKOLN eventsPlus links to:

• Speaker slides• Twitter archives (where

available)• Other related

resources

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IWMW ContentIWMW content migrated to Lanyrd

• Timetable• Abstracts• Speaker details• Other related

resources

Slides uploaded to Slideshare and embedded in Lanyrd pages

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Twotter CaptioningLinks from Lanyrd entry to resources for Chris Sexton’s plenary at IWMW 2010:• Slides hosted on

Slideshare• Video of talk on

Vimeo• Twitter commentary

of videos on iTitle service by Martin Hawksey, ALT

Long-term access to this information is uncertain.Record of what was done described on UK Web Focus blog

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Slideshare Repository

(Most) slides from IWMW events hosted on UKOLN web site since 1997 uploaded to Slideshare.Note to facilitate discoverability:• Slides embedded in Lanyrd• Use of tags (iwmw1997)

Only PPT & PDF files uploaded (not HTML, etc!)

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Writing The BookWho will be able to write about 25 years of edtech developments in UK HE?

Compare challenges of writing 400+ page history of the JANET network, published by JANET, with writing one on the history of web developments in UK HE,

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The IWMW Blog

Some questions:• What’s the point of

preservation?• What’s missing

beyond resources?My thoughts:• Understand the

past in order to plan for the future

• But we need the context and reflections

Hence establishment of IWMW blog, for 20th anniversary of event

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The IWMW BlogDerek Law’s reflection on his IWMW 2009 plenary talk:• Link to post about

talk is now to a marketing page[Risk – professionals repurpose old content]

• JISC PoWR blog has closed[Risk – blog service provider at jiscinvolve.org could terminate service]

Closed using described practices

“So the challenge for Brian and his remarkable array of colleagues is to keep the faith, keep proselytising and make sure that the links to this 20th birthday set of blog posts blog posts still work when the 25th birthday comes along!”

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The Individual’s PerspectiveWe should all expect to lose access to our institutional digital environment!

We should therefore make plans for migrating content from institutional silos!

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Where Did My Work Go?!Developer / researcher:• Worked at

Bristol University

• Evidence of research work available (publications)

• Online legacy is harder to find

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“The Individual as Institution”

Importance of individual as agent for preservation

Individual as Institution, Lawrie : converged blog, Lawrie Phipps, 7 May 2013, http://lawriephipps.co.uk/?p=199

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After Institutional The Need For Individual …

Jisc focus on institutional digital preservation issuesOthers address personal digital preservationGaps for individual in:• An institutional

perspective• An UK context• A HE context• A research context

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Revisiting the Learning OutcomesLearning Outcomes: 1. Strategies for managing termination of

online servicesUpdate content (provide context; removal of problematic links & services; …)

2. Useful tools and servicesUK Web Archive & Internet ArchiveInstitutional RepositoryResearch repositories; Slideshare; Lanyrd; …

3. Addressing the challenges and opportunities provide by social media services Opportunities to complement institutional, national & international services

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Who are the information superheroes who will ensure that UK’s higher education digital memories are maintained for future generations?

• The British Library• The research councils• The funders• The digital preservation services• The institutions• The motivated professionals• The staff who support the motivated

professionals and help shape institutional policies who embrace the role of the “individual as institution”

The Information Superheros

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Conclusions Preservation of UKOLN resources

• A learning journey (doing the work and then reflecting on the work)

• Just letting the Internet Archive to archive your site isn’t sufficient (but can be useful)

• Submitting your site to the UK Web Archive is useful, but not sufficient by itself

• Management of mothballing sites should be carried out routinely

• Motivational factors are important• Importance of ‘refreshing’ content, especially by

motivated professionals • Need to consider implications of “Individual as

institution” – by both individuals and institutions!• An ongoing process with multiple key stakeholders!

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Questions?