Posted by Marieke Guy on August 11th, 2008 At both of the JISC-
PoWR workshops delegates have been keen for the project team to
spell out the reasons why institutions might want to preserve
Web resources. These ‘drivers’ then give fuel to their case for
the funds needed to archive the institutional Web site. The idea
of ‘heritage records’ is one that is often mentioned. Using Web
sites as a ‘cultural snap shot’ has the potential to be a highly
useful activity. In his interesting and functional text Managing
the Crowd: Rethinking Records Management for the Web 2.0 World
Steve Bailey puts forward the point that deciding what will be
important in the future is a tricky business. As he explains in
the section on appraisal, retention and destruction: “The
passage of time inevitably changes the filter through which we
view our world and assess its priorities.” Steve gives the
example of the current plethora of Web sites that offer what we
might call ‘quack’ remedies for medical problems. These sites
may not seem to