Archive-It
Description
Archive-It is a subscription-based web archiving service from the Internet Archive, helping organizations to create complete records of digital materials appearing on the web. Organisations choose the frequency with which they collect these snapshots of content, creating records of their changes over time.
Provider
The Internet Archive
Licensing and cost
Fee-based service; licensing information not available.
Platform and interoperability
Archive-It is a web-based application, which renders it platform agnostic.
Functional notes
Archive-It advertises the ability to collect a wide range of content, including html, images, video, audio, PDF, and social networking sites. Internet Archive data centres store all content as ARC files, which reside on multiple servers. Harvests can be set to ten capture frequencies, with additional tools helping to expand or limit scope. The service also includes a report function, aiding in analysis of both individual harvests, and the collection as a whole.
Documentation and user support
Tech support is included in the subscription service, as well as access to online training sessions and help documentation.
Usability
The service provides a straightforward and somewhat customizable web interface for both administrators and users. Collections are browseable by URL and indexed for full text search.
Expertise required
With any web archiving project, deep understanding of the project’s scope and collections policy is essential in order to set up appropriate targets.
Standards compliance
Archive-It allows the addition of Dublin Core metadata to the materials.
Influence and take-up
As of January 2012, Archive-It is used by more than 190 partner organizations, including the National Institute of Health, the Bodlean Libraries at the University of Oxford, the Archives of the State of Michigan, and Columbia University Libraries.
User Experiences
Development Activity
Service is active as of writing. The Internet Archive is a self-funded not-for-profit organisation; Archive-It is one of their core services, receiving ongoing development and support.