Libraries aim to archive web data.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: UP FRONT: News, Trends & Analysis - Brief article

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The British Library and the National Library of New Zealand have developed a tool that will make it easier to collect and store information found online, which often disappears after only a few months.

BBC News reported that the Web Curator tool, which automates the process of gathering and storing digital archives, will play a central role in the British Library's existing digital preservation program. The library is part of a group of institutions working to preserve Internet data for the future and to make it available for research.

The web harvesting tool uses software to crawl through a specific section of the Internet and gather website snapshots of resources such as online publications. It can be used to implement a system to store and manage snapshots of webpages for future reference.

The British Library is working with five...