The purpose of the Web Archive Tools Critique is to learn to critically evaluate technology tools and services related to the web archiving process. The assignment is designed for you to share your observations about an existing tool or service related to the broad practice of archiving the web. These observations will include who is responsible for creating the tool/service, what problem is it trying to solve, are there other tools in this space that do something similar or different, what are the costs (if any) associated with the tool, and how users generally interact with the tool (service, software that is run locally, browser plugin, tool requiring a server).
Identify an existing tool used in the web archiving space. I suggest starting with the “Tools and Software” section of the Awesome Web Archiving list from the IIPC (https://github.com/iipc/awesome-web-archiving), but if you have another tool or service in mind that isn’t on that list feel free to use it, the tool just has to be related to the overall web archiving process. Once you select the tool/service, explore the documentation/website for that tool/service to get a good idea of what problem it is trying to solve, and other information about the creation of the tool/service.
While it isn’t strictly required, I suggest you pick a tool or service that you are able to download, create an account with, or generally use as part of your assignment. I couldn’t imagine writing about a tool I am not able to see, test, or use in any sort of believable way and you will find this assignment much easier if you pick something you can actually test.
In this assignment it is important to include links to relevant web pages and documentation related to the tool that supports your observations.
The assignment should start with the title “Assignment 2: Web Archive Tools Critique” centered at the top of the first page.
The analysis should have the following section headings: Introduction, Problem Space, Technology Requirements, Assessment, and References.
Provide an overview of the web archive tool or service that you have selected. This should include information about the tool itself, the motivation for creating this tool or service, and a brief description of what this tool or service does. Other useful information to include in the introduction is who is responsible for this tool? How long has this tool or service been around? What kind of software license does it have? What are the costs involved with using this tool?
Provide a discussion of why this tool or service exists. What is the problem space that this tool or service was created for? Go into more detail than in the introduction about what the tool or service actually accomplishes. How does this tool help to solve or minimize the issues in the problem space.
Describe the technology requirements for using this kind of tool or service. Is it designed to be downloaded and run on a desktop or run as a server? Is it a hosted service that requires an account and a subscription? What kinds of environments is the tool able to be installed, Windows, Linux, Mac? If you have a chance to install the tool and try using it, what experience did you have in the process?
You should also include any information (and links) related to online documentation for the tool or service. Does the tool or service have an online mailing list for help? Is there a help forum?
Discuss the overall observations of the web archive tool or service that you chose. Would you recommend this tool for others to use? Do you think that it solves or minimizes the problem it exists to solve? Does it seem like the tool is still maintained and in use? What is the size of the user community of the tool? Is there enough documentation available to get the tool installed and working? Are there things that would make using the tool easier that you would suggest to the project owner?
Any references cited within the document. Use APA standards for citations. Use an online source (Purdue OWL) for specifics about APA.
2-3 pages of textual content (1000-1500 words), font-size 11 pt, double spaced with 1 inch margins throughout the document.
The title for the assignment should be centered horizontally at the top of the first page (just like this document). Sections should be bolded and slightly larger than the 11pt font used in the rest of the document. I suggest using the Headings available in most word processing tools.
Feel free to include screenshots as needed to provide examples or highlight points. Don’t try to fill up space with the screenshots, if they make your document a bit longer than three pages that isn’t a problem.
Use APA standards for citations. Use an online source (Purdue OWL) for specifics about APA.
Put your last name in the upper right margin. Include pagination in the bottom margin.
Name the document Assignment2_lastname.docx, Assignment2_lastname.doc, or Assignment2_lastname.odf depending on which tool you use. You will submit this to the Major Assignment: Web Archive Tool Critique in Canvas.
Design (10 points)
- Does the document follow the specific instructions for the assignment?
- Does the document contain a title and section headings?
- Does the document contain the correct information in the header and footer?
- Does the document use appropriate margins, line spacing, and font size?
- Is the document’s length appropriate based on the instructions?
Content (30 points)
- Does the document introduce the selected web archive tool or service?
- Does the document identify the person/organization responsible for the creation of the tool or service?
- Does the document describe the problem space the tool or service is trying to solve?
- Does the document discuss the functionality and features of the tool or service?
- Does the document include critique or limitations for tool or service?
Linking and Citations (5 points)
- Does the document include links to the web archive tool’s website or home page?
- Does the document include links to support observations or critique?
- Does the document include properly formatted citations?
Delivery (5 points)
- Was the document submitted to the correct assignment module on Canvas?
- Was the document submitted on time?
- Was the document submitted in the correct file format (.doc, .docx, .odf)?
- Was the document submitted with the correct file name?