Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Recognizing Co-Creators In Four Configurations: Critical Questions For Web Archiving, Amy Wickner

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

Four categories of co-creator shape web archivists' practice and influence the development of web archives: social forces, users and uses, subjects of web archives, and technical agents. This paper illustrates how these categories of co-creator overlap and interact in four specific web archiving contexts. It recommends that web archivists acknowledge this complex array of contributors as a way to imagine web archives differently. A critical approach to web archiving recognizes relationships and blended roles among stakeholders; seeks opportunities for non-extractive archival activity; and acknowledges the value of creative reuse as an important aspect of preservation.