New open source software has been developed to facilitate the compilation and storage of digital archives. The British Library and National Library of New Zealand have worked together with a technology firm to develop the ‘web curator tool’ which has been designed to be easy to use and it will available for use by other organisations through open source by the end of the year.
The software in question will be used by the libraries to archive electronic information available on key web pages including those relating to political parties and significant news events such as the July 7 bombings. It will allow the detail to be retained even once the page has been lost. The software will allow the user to ‘harvest’ electronic information by searching out and gathering snapshots of websites.
The British Library is, under copyright law, a ‘library of deposit’ and a copy of every published book must be sent there (as well as to other designated libraries) for archive purposes. It also has the right to copy certain works from the Internet, so the ability to store web information using the new tool will enable the Library to enhance its archives. The British Library is also arguing that copyright law should be amended to permit the archiving in this way of all copyright material, including material in digital form.
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