Maintaining the integrity of government online web continuity matters Amanda Spencer. Web Continuity Manager, National Archives

1. Maintaining the integrity of
government online
Web Continuity Matters
Amanda Spencer, Web
Continuity Manager, The
National Archives, June 2008

2. The Web Continuity project
Part of a package of
projects that are
addressing the issue of
sustainable information
across government

3. Sustainable information: The National
Archives’ approach
• Protecting ongoing business information
• Permanently archiving digital information of historic
value
• Maintaining the integrity of government online

4. Sustainable information
Current information Digital continuity Permanent
preservation
Can be easily updated Information is readable
and changed and usable Information is static
and cannot be changed
 It's work in  The work’s complete, I  In line with agreed
progress don't refer to it retention schedules
regularly, but I don't we need to dispose of
 I need to edit or want to lose it information
update it regularly
 I may need to refer to it  In line with agreed
 I refer to it or update it in the future retention schedules
regularly we need to send
 It has long-term information to The
business value - National Archives for
without it we would lose permanent archiving
essential knowledge or
information
 It's something we're
required to keep
Maintaining the integrity of government online: keeping web links working, archiving government websites

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. The Options
• Improvements to existing practices
• Encourage government departments to take more
responsibility
• Use Digital Object Identifiers
• None of the above….

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. Any Questions?