John Richan is digital archivist at Concordia’s Records Management and Archives
The COVID-19 global pandemic has forced many archivists to change how they work, and the staff at Concordia Records Management and Archives (RMA) are no different. The department is embracing new approaches to their archival projects and the challenges that come with working from home.
Toward the goal of documenting this demanding time, RMA has launched a web archiving initiative, led by Olivier Bisaillon-Lemay, records management assistant, to capture sites, blogs and articles linked to Concordia’s reaction and response to the pandemic.
Marie-Pierre Aubé, university archivist, stresses the value of this initiative. “We are in unprecedented times and this will probably change our institution from the way it was before the crisis,” she says.
“I think it is important to document and preserve Concordia’s web presence to ensure accessibility for future generations.”
The inspiration for this project was derived from similar ongoing web archiving initiatives taking place at the National Archives UK and the International Internet Preservation Consortium. In addition to these projects, web archiving has recently been featured in a New York Times article highlighting the work of the United States Library of Congress.
The goal of Concordia’s COVID-19 web archiving project is to preserve these often-ephemeral sites for their long-term informational value as well as their look and feel, which often provide additional context. These sites have been brought together and centralized in a COVID-19 web collection for those currently interested and for future researchers potentially focusing on Concordia’s digital footprint during this unprecedented time.