Government of Canada Web Archive

Launch of the Government of Canada Web Archive

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) will launch the “Government of Canada Web Archive” on November 20, 2007.  The site can be found at: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/webarchives/

The Library and Archives of Canada Act received Royal Assent on April 22, 2004, allowing Library and Archives Canada (LAC) to collect and preserve a representative sample of Canadian websites. To meet its new mandate, LAC began to harvest the Web domain of the Federal Government of Canada starting in December 2005. As resources permit, this harvesting activity will be undertaken on a semi-annual basis. The harvested website data is stored in the “Government of Canada Web Archive” (GCWA). Client access to the content of the GCWA is provided through searching full text by keyword, by department name and by URL. It is also possible to search by specific format type, (e.g., *.PDF). By the fall 2007, approximately 100 million digital objects (over 4 terabytes) of archived federal government website data will be made accessible via the LAC website.

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has implemented this first significant Canadian Web archive through the use of open source tools, developed by the International Internet Preservation Consortium (http://www.netpreserve.org), of which LAC is a member. The goal of this organization is to collect, preserve and ensure long-term access to Internet content from around the world through the collaborative development of common tools and techniques for developing Web archives.

——————

Lancement des Archives du Web du gouvernement du Canada

Bibliothèque et Archives Canada lancera « Archives du Web du gouvernement du Canada » le 20 novembre 2007. Vous pourrez consulter le site au http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/archivesweb/
La Loi sur la Bibliothèque et les Archives du Canada (BAC) a reçu la sanction royale le 22 avril 2004. Elle permet à BAC de recueillir et de préserver un échantillonnage représentatif des sites Web canadiens. Afin de remplir son nouveau mandat, BAC a commencé à recueillir des sites Web du gouvernement du Canada en décembre 2005. Tant que les ressources le permettront, il procédera à une collecte de sites deux fois par année. Les données des sites Web recueillis sont stockées dans les Archives du Web du gouvernement du Canada (AWGC). L’accès des clients au contenu des AWGC est offert à partir de la recherche plein texte par mot clé, nom de ministère et URL. Il est également possible d’effectuer la recherche par un type de format précis, p. ex., *.PDF. Lorsque le site sera lancé, environ 100 millions d’objets numériques (plus de 4 téraoctets) de données de sites Web archivés seront accessibles à partir du site Web de BAC.
Bibliothèque et Archives Canada a mis en oeuvre ces premières importantes archives Web du Canada en se servant d’outils à source libre, développés par le Consortium international pour la préservation d’Internet (www.netpreserve.org), dont BAC est membre. Le but de cette organisation est de recueillir, de préserver et d’assurer un accès à long terme au contenu d’Internet à l’échelle mondiale, et ce,  grâce à la mise au point de techniques et d’outils communs pour le développement des archives du Web.

IFLA Call for Papers

Are you thinking of going to IFLA in Quebec next year? Why not give a paper! There is a government information section. Below is the call for papers. It would be great to have a Canadian perspective, especially since it’s here this year!

Government Information and Official Publications Section

Theme: Globalization of government information: creating digital archives for increased access

The IFLA Government Information and Official Publications Section (GIOPS) invites submissions for its programme for the 74th International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) World Library and Information Congress 10-14 August 2008 to be held in Québec, Canada. In keeping with the IFLA conference theme, “Libraries without borders: Navigating towards global understanding”, the GIOPS sub-theme is “Globalization of government information: creating digital archives for increased access”.

Government, non-governmental and intergovernmental knowledge resources play an important role in our global society. Increasingly these resources are either born digital or are being digitized for enhanced access by people everywhere. Governments at many levels, institutions, non-governmental and international organizations, and individuals are collaborating locally, nationally, regionally and internationally to make these resources available digitally and to ensure that they are properly preserved and archived for sustained use by future generations.

Submissions are invited which discuss collaborative digitization projects that make available historical or current official and/or government resources. Topics covered might include the project’s development, content and content management, use of and adherence to digitization standards and benefits to a globalizing world. Submissions of a more theoretical approach will also be considered.

Four papers will be selected for presentation.

Proposals for papers must be submitted by 15 January 2008 to:
Alice Ramohlola with copies to Irja Peltonen, Jackie Druery and Marcy Allen.

The proposal should include a title, 200-400 word abstract and relevant biographical information of author(s)/presenter(s).

Successful proposals will be identified by 15 February 2008 and presenters notified.

The full paper is due by 15 April 2008.

Please note that all fees, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodation, etc. are the responsibility of the author(s) of accepted papers. For additional information, please contact any of the above