A Tool That Helps Provide Easy and Fast Access to Archived Web Content and Data

There is a lot of interest (with good reason) these days in data preservation and web archiving. 

Two of the many projects getting some well-deserved attention are the End of Term Web Archive and the recently announced Harvard Law School Library Innovation Lab Data.gov Archive.

Another project that’s also been getting a lot of attention is one many of you are already aware of, the the Internet Archive’s  Wayback Machine.

The Wayback Machine’s essential collection grows every minute of every day and is currently home to more than 916 billion archived web pages back to 1996.

Actually, the Wayback Machine offers access to much more than archived web pages. It also provides access to archived web-accessible PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, and a myriad of other data formats. 

While archiving material is essential, accessing it easily and quickly, often at the time of need, is something else. This can be true for both experienced researchers as well as those who just want to review whatever the material is and have little or no experience in using a web archive. 

There are many ways to view archived material from the projects doing this vital work. This post will introduce you to one of them. 

The Browser Extension

Say hello to the Wayback Machine’s Browser Extension.

It’s available for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

This free tool is an easy and very fast way to determine directly from your browser if an archived version of the content (HTML web page, PDF, etc.) has been archived (at least once). If a copy/copies is/are available, accessing it/them can be done within seconds and with minimal effort. No cutting and pasting needed. 

Accessing and Using the Extension

• Download and install on your browser.

• Find the extension’s icon on your browser’s toolbar. 

• As you browse the web, a number will appear next to the icon. This number is the number of captures of the Wayback Machine has of the URL. 

• Click on the toolbar icon. This box will appear.

• Here you’ll see more info and a direct link to access the oldest or newest capture of the web page, PDF, etc. 
• Click one of these options. The document will then appear in your browser. If it’s a data file you should see a dialog box to allow you to download.
  

• At the top of the page you’ll also see a link to click and review (if available) other archived versions of the item. 

The Wayback Browser Extension is only one of several options to access archived content via the Wayback Machine. 

Finally, be sure to review some of the many other features of the browser extension. One of these options allows you to instantly save web content to Wayback with only a click or two using the “Save Page Now” service. It’s a great way to make sure what you’ve seen at a specific moment in time is available long-term. Moreover, it helps make Wayback a more robust resource for all users. 

This 2017 blog post by Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine, provides more info about the browser extension. 

Filed under: Data Files, Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Preservation, School Libraries