Amanda Spencer, Web Continuity Manager, The National Archives, June 2008

Maintaining the integrity of government online

Web Continuity Matters

The Web Continuity project

Part of a package of projects that are addressing the issue of sustainable information across government

Sustainable information: The National Archives’ approach

• Protecting ongoing business information

• Permanently archiving digital information of historic value

• Maintaining the integrity of government online

Current information

Can be easily updatedand changed

It's work inprogress

I need to edit orupdate it regularly

I refer to itregularly

Digital continuity

Information is readableand usable

Permanentpreservation

Information is staticand cannot be changed

The work’s complete, Idon't refer to itregularly, but I don'twant to lose it

I may need to refer to itor update it in the future

It has long-termbusiness value -without it we would loseessential knowledge orinformation

It's something we'rerequired to keep

In line with agreedretention scheduleswe need to dispose ofinformation

In line with agreedretention scheduleswe need to sendinformation to TheNational Archives forpermanent archiving

Maintaining the integrity of government online: keeping web links working, archiving government websites

Sustainable information

Web continuity matters

• 50% + of all interaction between government and the public now happens online

• Website links cited in everything from Hansard through to academic research and PR campaigns

• Government websites are increasingly the first port of call for politicians, civil servants, business and professional communities, and the general public

• Information increasingly only available electronically, not print

• Integrity of Web links crucial to the business of government Broken Web links are increasingly common – and frustrating for us all

Web continuity matters: Power of information review• High profile Cabinet Office report

June 2007 about innovation in online services

• New task force announced April 2008 - where’s the original pdf?

• Cabinet Office Web link to the full report broken

• Author contacted The National Archives – help!

• We take regular snapshots of the Cabinet Office website so had a copy we could redirect to

• Web continuity matters

Web continuity matters: National Archives and Records Administration• Headline article Computerworld

11 April, 2008

• National Archives and Records Administration comes under fire for discontinuing its policy of taking a ‘digital snapshot’ of all federal agencies and congressional public Web sites

• Millions of Web pages authored under Bush administration may be lost when leadership changes in January 2009

• Considerable critical posts as a consequence

Web continuity matters

• Integrity of Web links crucial to the business of government. Without it:

• Public – impaired access

• Westminster village – impaired access

• The Press – impaired access

• Academics – impaired analysis

• Parliament – impaired scrutiny

• Impacts on reputation of government – public and abroad

Government is taking action

• April 2007 - Raised as a serious issue by Jack Straw, as Leader of the House of Commons

• May 2007 – Hilary Armstrong commits government to a package of measures that will provide a long-lasting solution to the problem

• Working Group established to investigate the problem and come up with a solution

What the working group found…

• 60% of URLs quoted in Hansard between 1997-2006 are broken

• Prevalence of e-only publication; issues with legal deposit in the electronic world

• Varied practice - PDF vs HTML

• Devolved system of web publication

The Options

• Improvements to existing practices

• Encourage government departments to take more responsibility

• Use Digital Object Identifiers

• None of the above….

The National Archives and the Web Continuity project

• Comprehensively archiving government’s websites

• Greater capture of content

• Single, centrally hosted registry to audit website crawls

• Making sure Web links work in perpetuity

• Improved presentation in Web Archive

• Guidance for web and e-comms communities

• Regular monitoring

Comprehensively archiving government’s websites• In partnership with the

European Archive

• Whole of UK central government

• Incorporating Transformational Government Website Rationalisation Programme

• 3 x yearly

• Website managers can request additional crawls

Greater capture of content

• Sitemap implementation plan

• Benefits of using XML sitemaps – easier to find information using search engines, also helps archiving process; ministerial backing

• Market review

• CESG Claims Tested Mark scheme

• Installation of sitemap generation software on government web servers

Single, centrally hosted registry to audit website crawls

• All government stakeholders able to access relevant areas

• Will provide an online, authoritative record of the archived government web estate

• Provides admin and technical details – who, what, where, when, how often, how much, how long, how well

Making sure web links work in perpetuity

• Configuration of open source software

• Apache and Microsoft IIS Web Servers

• Component behaviour

• CESG Claims Tested Marks scheme

• Will need to be installed on government web servers

Improved presentation in Web Archive

• Will enhance presentation layer of the government web archive to make sure that re-directed users clearly understand they are looking at an archived, not a live, website

Dissemination and guidance

• Discussions with devolved administrations to make sure system is inclusive

• Brochures and briefings• Pilot• Guidance for web and e-

comms communities – part of Transformational Government Web standards

• Software and guidance available via Digital People

• Regular monitoring

Timelines

• November 2007 – April 2008 Feasibility studies and development work

• March 2008 Brochure circulated

• May 2008 Briefings to government

• June – November 2008 Solution piloted, software and guidance available

• November 2008 Solution delivered to government, monitoring in place

Any Questions?