Providing Access to Web Content in National Libraries

Purpose of this paper

The purpose of this poster presentation is to inform of the Croatian example of web archiving and providing access to web resources, and to compare it to similar activities in other European national libraries. Suggestions for the further development of the Digital Archive of Croatian Web Resources will be given.

Background

Processing web resources encompasses identification, selection, cataloguing, archiving, long term preservation and providing access to digital content. Because web resources are dynamic and unstable, it is important to archive them regularly in order to preserve valuable sources of information, and to document a certain period. National libraries have different goals, criteria and methods of web archiving. In 2003, the Croatian National and University Library decided to develop a system for harvesting and archiving legal deposit of Croatian web resources. In cooperation with the University of Zagreb Computing Centre (Srce), a system was designed and functionally integrated with the Library's information system. Digital Archive of Croatian Web Resources started in January 2004. It harvests and archives only previously selected and catalogued web resources.

Methods used for the study

In this paper we will use comparative analysis of Croatian Digital Archive and digital archives in other European national libraries. We will compare goals of archiving, criteria for selection of web resources, methods of archiving, access to archived materials, and co-operation/partnership with other archives.

Findings

The goal of this paper is to determine advantages and disadvantages of the Croatian Digital Archive regarding the experiences of other national libraries in web archiving and providing access to archived material. Based on that comparison, we will give suggestions for its further development and improvement.

Importance and interest of the study

With our research we wish to inform students and the whole library and academic community about the importance of archiving and providing access to digital heritage for future generations.

Value of the paper

With this paper we want to contribute to the development of Croatian Digital Archive by comparing it to other European achievements, and giving examples for its development from student's perspective.