OCUL is very pleased to be able to offer
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 4:28 am
The Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL) and the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) have joined forces in a multi-consortial offering of Archive-It, the web archiving service of the Internet Archive. Working together, COPPUL and OCUL are considering ways that they can significantly expand web archiving in Canada.
A coordinated subscription to Archive-It builds on the efforts of Canadian universities that have developed web archiving programs over the years, and the past work of Archive-It with both COPPUL and whatsapp lead OCUL members. With 12 COPPUL members and 12 OCUL members (more than half the total membership) now subscribing to Archive-It, there is an opportunity to build a foundation for further collaboration supporting research services and other digital library initiatives. In addition, participation by so many libraries helps lower the barrier of entry for additional member institutions to join in web archiving efforts across Canada.
“ Archive-It to our members,” said Ken Hernden, University Librarian at Algoma University and OCUL Chair. “Preservation of information and research is an important aspect of what libraries do to benefit scholars and communities. Preserving information for the future was challenging in a paper-and-print environment. It has become even more so in the digital information environment. We hope that enabling access to this tool will help build capacity for web archiving across Ontario, and beyond.”
A coordinated subscription to Archive-It builds on the efforts of Canadian universities that have developed web archiving programs over the years, and the past work of Archive-It with both COPPUL and whatsapp lead OCUL members. With 12 COPPUL members and 12 OCUL members (more than half the total membership) now subscribing to Archive-It, there is an opportunity to build a foundation for further collaboration supporting research services and other digital library initiatives. In addition, participation by so many libraries helps lower the barrier of entry for additional member institutions to join in web archiving efforts across Canada.
“ Archive-It to our members,” said Ken Hernden, University Librarian at Algoma University and OCUL Chair. “Preservation of information and research is an important aspect of what libraries do to benefit scholars and communities. Preserving information for the future was challenging in a paper-and-print environment. It has become even more so in the digital information environment. We hope that enabling access to this tool will help build capacity for web archiving across Ontario, and beyond.”