Changes to arch.i.vi.us

I realize that arch.i.vi.us has been dormant for a very long time, and for those who have been waiting for an update, the wait is over.

My first post explained the purpose of this blog. Since the publication of the first post I have witnessed the emergence of at least one very well executed "aggregating" blog that is tailored for archivists, namely ArchivesBlogs.

I made some major changes to arch.i.vi.us that I hope will make it a one-stop shop for news related to digitzation and digital preservation.

First, I updated the Blogger template from the old static version to the new customizable, modify-on-the-fly version. Much easier to add/remove content modules, and much easier to pull in content from other websites.

Second, I am harnessing the power of the many, and in this case, the power of the many people out there who use del.i.cio.us (the inspiration for this blog) to tag websites or news item related to "digitization" and "digital preservation." Whatever is tagged with those tags will appear on arch.i.vi.us

By digitization, I mean the act of changing the format of a document, mostly from paper to digital so as to make it more accessible to people over the Web. And by digital preservation, I mean the research and practical work that is being done to preserve born-digital material of long-term / historical value so that they may be preserved and remain accessible throughout time.

Third, I added a Google News search widget that continuously scans the headlines for news on digitization and digital preservation.

Fourth, I added a YouTube video module that searches out any videos tagged with archivists. For fun.

Last but not least, I will maintain the actual blog module for now, though frequency of postings will vary and is still under development.

A final note: Since arch.i.vi.us is pulling in content from external sources I, nor arch.i.vi.us, is responsible for the accuracy, objectivity, or actual subject matter of the items appearing via syndication in this blog. While I have carefully established the parameters of the content being aggregated, I still urge everyone reading to be critical thinkers.