TIPP CITY — The Tipp City Public Library has recently launched its Web Archive. Headed up by teen Librarian Grace McGann, the internet archive houses digitized collections of newspaper articles, blogs, and webpages that patrons can access.

In addition to the actual webpages themselves, any images or videos located on a designated webpage are also archived. The collection will feature local materials primarily focusing on Tipp City and the greater Miami Valley. Patrons who would like to utilize the archive can do so by going to www.tippcitylibrary.org and clicking on the resources tab.

The goal of the Web Archive is to preserve community history, especially that of those who are often marginalized, people of color, and LBGTQIA+.

“More and more our daily lives are playing out on the internet,” McGann said. “Information professionals have been dedicating so much time to preserving the physical historical record that we are in danger of finding ourselves with a gap in history of a few decades from now. Web archiving is one way that we can close that gap.”

Websites are fleeting; they tend to disappear or change significantly within the span of a couple years. By capturing websites as they are presently, the library is preserving the electronic historical record for the future.

In addition, Tipp City Library has a vast collection of local newspapers. Newspapers get brittle quickly and are often a preservation nightmare, so the Web Archive might be the only chance to save this kind of knowledge.

“This program benefits the community because we are ensuring the story of Tipp City continues to be told,” McGann said. “These websites are moments frozen in history that we are able to look back at indefinitely.”

Tipp City Library thanks Internet Archive for hosting the programing and for its contribution to the library.