Description: This article discusses archiving web-published materials. Abstract: The Web-at-Risk project is a digital preservation project funded by the Library of Congress as part of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. The project is developing a web archiving service to enable curators to build, store, and manage archived collections of web-published materials captured largely from US federal and state government agency web sites. In 2005 the project‟s 22 curators, as well as librarians and archivists working primarily in academic libraries (N=43), university researchers (N=7), and content providers (N=7) participated in a study to identify their needs in relation to web archiving. This paper summarizes the issues and challenges these groups face and discusses the need for collaborations among libraries and government entities for preserving web-published materials.

Description: This article discusses the development of The Portal to Texas History. Abstract: Purpose: To help information professionals learn about issues and considerations in portal building. Design/methodology/approach: The University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries' Portal to Texas History provides long-term storage and access to digital copies of important original materials illuminating Texas' past. This article describes the development of the Portal technology and content - presenting objectives, processes, and future plans - and defines the larger goal of facilitating collaboration among resource-holding institutions. Findings: Practical aspects of creating and populating the Portal include development of specifications and standards, construction of an application framework, selection of content, production of metadata, and refinement of user interfaces. Planned future enhancements to the Portal will augment sustainability and provide added value for users. The Portal project may also serve as a catalyst for wider collaborative efforts in digitization. Originality/Value: The Portal to Texas History project's experiences described in this article will inform other stakeholders seeking to develop innovative uses of Portal technologies.

Description: This article discusses preservation of federal agency's files. For more than a century, federal depository libraries and the Government Printing Office (GPO) have acted as partners to provide permanent access to government information in tangible media. These partnerships have evolved in the last few years. Built on a century of tradition, new partnerships offer permanent access to electronic files of federal agencies published in nontangible media. This article describes one partnership to store and provide access to the electronic files of agencies that have ceased operation. As the only Web contact for an agency, unique challenges arose when historical publications were frequently requested. Digitized historical publications, bibliographies, and an agency history enhance services for researchers.

Description: This article discusses the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in 2006, which took place in New Orleans, Louisiana. Information about the topics discussed and issues that were brought up are included.

Description: This article discusses developing the Information Communication Technologies (ICT) for Africa. Abstract: The synergies of numerous emerging trends are shaping creation, access, use and preservation of information resources. The digital library environment provides scholars with access to more diverse and previously unavailable contents that span myriad technologies across institutions and nations. Although the uses of Internet technologies provide new directions for scholarship, there are discrepancies among nations and regions. These technologies have not been fully exploited in Africa in particular. As research and scientific inquiry depend on both the availability of heterogeneous resources from multiple sources and their openness to easy and continued access, addressing the universal access is paramount. This article discusses and provides an overview of some of the barriers or principal factors most likely to influence Africa's efforts in harnessing the full power of the Internet.