Techfun » library of congress http://blog.techfun.org Linux, Politics, Whatever... Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:10:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 NARA Is Not Preserving History – This Time http://blog.techfun.org/2008/08/national-archives-will-not-be-archiving/ http://blog.techfun.org/2008/08/national-archives-will-not-be-archiving/#comments Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:03:46 +0000 JD Thomas http://blog.techfun.org/?p=1009 Barbara Quint, a very cool woman who writes for one of my employer’s publications, has written great article about NARA – U.S. National Archives and Records Administration – will NOT be making a new archive/snapshot of government websites in 2009 the way they did in 2001 and 2005 after the new Presidential terms began.

In 2009, more than in 2005, we can hope to see major changes across a wide swath of government websites.  It is very important to let Americans see those changes and understand the differences that can come about with a change in leadership in this nation.   Luckily, a few other organizations are stepping in to do the job.

Consortium—Minus NARA—Archiving Bush Administration Websites
by Barbara Quint
Posted On August 28, 2008

Regardless of who wins this November’s presidential election, the business of government still chugs along. Or does it? With so much of the daily activity of the federal government now conducted on the web, the effect of a change of administration becomes a matter of curiosity or even anxiety. In 2001 and 2004, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA; www.archives.gov) created a “snapshot” crawl of federal agency websites (109th Congress and 2004 presidential term available at www.webharvest.gov). However, in March, NARA announced it would not conduct the same kind of snapshot for 2008/2009. Responding to the possible loss of an historically important record, five agencies and organizations– the Library of Congress (LC; www.loc.gov), Internet Archive (www.archive.org), California Digital Library (www.cdlib.org), University of North Texas Libraries (www.library.unt.edu), and the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO; www.gpo.gov) –have partnered to take on the task.

Each of the participants will concentrate on specific approaches to gathering and curating the collection of content from federal agency websites under LC’s leadership. The bulk of the collecting will come from a sequence of crawls by the Internet Archive. LC will contribute congressional content based on its regular monthly crawls, which it has conducted since 2003. The California Digital Library (CDL) and the University of North Texas (UNT) are already participants in the LC-funded Web-at-Risk project. They will tap their own considerable experience to identify key agency content. The UNT Libraries, already a model organization for digital archiving of government sites with its CyberCemetery
(http://govinfo.library.unt.edu) begun in 1997, have developed a specific program designed to handle input from expert government document librarians around the country for identifying and suggesting key “not to be missed” sites. Assisting in this curation side of the effort, GPO will promote the program within the Federal Depository Library Program.

Read the rest at Consortium—Minus NARA—Archiving Bush Administration Websites

]]> http://blog.techfun.org/2008/08/national-archives-will-not-be-archiving/feed/ 1 ‘Library of Congress Experience’ Debuts April 12 http://blog.techfun.org/2008/04/loc-experience/ http://blog.techfun.org/2008/04/loc-experience/#comments Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:25:51 +0000 JD Thomas http://blog.techfun.org/?p=927

The Library of Congress has announced the debut on April 12 of an immersive, new “Library of Congress Experience,” offering visitors unique historical and cultural treasures brought to life through cutting-edge interactive technology and a companion website.

The Experience comprises a series of new ongoing exhibitions, dozens of interactive kiosks, an inspiring multimedia “overture” on the collections and programs of the Library. All exhibits are free and open to the public.

There will also be a continuing online educational experience at the upcoming website myLOC.gov/. The site features interactive versions of the same exhibition content from the physical experience, educational resources, information for visitors, and a page where users can create their own virtual collection of Library objects.

The site also enables the public to participate directly in the Experience by way of “Inspiration Across the Nation.” Because the Experience celebrates and showcases the creativity and contributions of our nation’s early cultures, great minds, and other founding influences, people nationwide will have the opportunity to submit to the Library their own creative works in the form of stories, poems, video, audio, photos–anything that can be transmitted in an electronic file. Select entries will be chosen to be part of the Library’s permanent collections, joining the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and other cultural and historic legends.

Interactive educational content will be the hallmark of the Library’s new Experience. Teachers will have access to a range of educational resources that will transform a visit to the Library into a meaningful experience for learners of all ages. Onsite and online multimedia activities will engage young people to think critically, inspiring lifelong learning and future exploration of the Library’s collections.

A day of public celebration on Saturday, April 12, at the Thomas Jefferson Building (10 First St. SE, Washington, D.C., 20540) marks the opening of the Library of Congress Experience.

Detailed information on the Experience can be found at a new microsite, www.loc.gov/experience/.

Source: The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov

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