The central aim of this thesis is to investigate the current state of web archive research in Ireland in line with international developments. Integrating desk research, survey studies, and case studies, and using a combination of research methods, qualitative and quantitative, drawn from disciplines across the humanities and information sciences, this thesis focuses on bridging the gaps between the creation of web archives and the use of archived web materials for current and future research in an Irish context. The thesis describes web archive research to be representative of the web archiving life cycle model (Bragg & Hanna, 2013) which is inclusive of appraisal, selection, capture, storage, quality assurance, preservation and maintenance, replay/playback, access, use, and reuse.
Through a synthesis of relevant literature, the thesis examines the causes for the loss of digital heritage and how this relates to Ireland and explores the challenges for participation in web archive research from creation to end use. A survey study is used to explore the challenges for the creation and use of web archives, and the overlaps, and intersections of such challenges across communities of practice within web archive research. A qualitative survey is used to provide an overview of the availability and accessibility of web archives based in Ireland, and their usefulness as resources for conducting research on Irish topics. It further discusses the influence of copyright and legal deposit legislation, or lack thereof, on their abilities to preserve digital heritage for future generations. An online survey is used to investigate awareness of, and engagement/non-engagement with, web archives as resources for research in Irish academic institutions.
Overall, the findings show that due to advances in internet, web, and software technologies, there is a need for the continual evaluation of skills, tools, and methods associated with the full web archiving lifecycle. As technologies keep evolving, so too will the challenges. The findings also highlight the need for creators and users/researchers to keep moving forward as collaborators to guide the next generation of web archive research. At the same time, there is also the need for the continual evaluation of legal deposit legislation in line with the fragility of born digital heritage and the technological advances in publishing and communication technologies
