What is the Arquivo.pt Memorial service? What is its relevance and use? In an interview, Arquivo.pt manager Daniel Gomes answers these and other questions.
#1 In what context was the Arquivo.pt Memorial service created? What are its main objectives?
There are historical websites that are no longer updated with new content, but must be kept online because they provide important information, such as websites for completed projects. The service Arquivo.pt Memorial offers high-quality preservation of the content of these historic websites with the possibility of maintaining the original domain.
#2 The service is intended to address various issues that can arise from websites that stop updating. What are these issues, and how does Memorial do Arquivo.pt address them?
Some organizations find themselves forced to invest significant resources in maintaining a large number of historical websites created over time. The cost of maintaining these websites increases over time due to the obsolescence of the technologies that support them, which often leads to dangerous security vulnerabilities.
Through the Memorial of Arquivo.pt, owners of historical websites can preserve the online information they published, but they don't need to invest permanently in infrastructure (e.g., servers, electricity, content management systems) or allocate IT human resources to maintain their historical websites. They only need to maintain ownership of the website domain.
#3 What types of organizations can use the Arquivo.pt Memorial service? What are some examples of organizations that might benefit from it?
In this initial phase of the service, all public administration entities can request the service free of charge. The Arquivo.pt Memorial can be provided to other entities upon the establishment of a collaboration agreement.
For example, the website www.umic.pt belonged to a government organization called UMIC – Agency for the Knowledge Society, which ceased operations in 2012. Arquivo.pt preserved the information published online by this website, which was subsequently deactivated. Note that if web users search for “UMIC – Agency for the Knowledge Society” in a search engine, they will continue to receive results from the website. www.umic.pt, although its content is now being served by Memorial do Arquivo.pt.
#4 What is your assessment of the progress made by this service? Are there any statistics that demonstrate its impact?
The service has matured gradually and thoughtfully because it is an innovative service unique in the world. Currently, 62 websites are preserved at the Memorial, whose information would otherwise have been irretrievably lost. I highlight, for example, the academic portal Degois.pt, which was replaced by the new CienciaVitae, and which has already received 12,400 users since being preserved at the Memorial in May 2021.
#5 Arquivo.pt recently added new solutions to its service catalog. What can you tell us about these tools?
For its usefulness, I highlight file404 (https://arquivo.pt/arquivo404) and Save Page Now (https://arquivo.pt/savepagenow).
Arquivo404 offers a solution to the problem of pages that no longer exist on websites (Error 404 – Page Not Found). Simply insert a single line of code into the page that generates the 404 error message, and if the page exists on Arquivo.pt, a link is displayed so the user can visit that version.
SavePageNow allows you to archive a page in high quality, including videos, for example, at the exact moment the user requests it. The archived content will later be integrated into the Arquivo.pt collection.
How relevant is Arquivo.pt for Portuguese citizens?
Artificial Intelligence is based on algorithms, computers, and data. Access to efficient algorithms and powerful computers is becoming increasingly easy. On the other hand, it is becoming increasingly difficult to access data, for example, to conduct scientific research or even to recall any event from our recent past.
Arquivo.pt is a unique public service that provides access to historical data and can be useful to all Portuguese citizens. I urge you to help us promote Arquivo.pt so that more people can learn about it and benefit from this valuable national heritage. Furthermore, each year you can compete for the Arquivo.pt Award.
