Researchers Requirements Working Group

Goals & objectives

Since the very beginning, IIPC members have acknowledged that sampling, even if done in large scale with automated tools, is the only realistic option for researching the huge number of Internet documents, which are often ephemeral in nature.

This means that important decisions, which will have an enduring impact on the material available for future researchers using Web archives as a primary source, have to be taken.

The Researchers Requirements Working Group discussed this topic with researchers (see list) working in this area. Researchers were mostly from research institutions and not just participants of IIPC libraries.

The aim of this Working Group was to exchange information and share a vision about what Web archives should contain: their scope, extent, updating, structuring and associated information. This was achieved in several meetings, which included presentations and discussions on the following topics:

Sampling/selection (what to take and to what extent, as the Web is not only about content but process and experience).
Importance of documenting the archiving processes.
Accessibility of archives - how do Web archives fit into cyberspace?
Need to provide persistent reference accessible from the Web itself.
Tools and services that will be needed to perform research on Web archives.

Leader

Julien Masanès, European Archive, The Netherlands

List of associated researchers

Others: Framework / Researchers Requirements / Access Tools / Metrics and Testbed / Deep Web / Content Management