Webcomic fans, rejoice: Library of Congress is launching a new archive for you
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog June 13 2017
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/06/13/webcomic-fans-rejoice-library-of-congress-is-launching-a-new-archive-for-you/
LOC just put out a press release on this:
June 13, 2017
Webcomics and Web Cultures Archives Now on loc.gov
Collections are newest additions to born-digital content online
The Library of Congress today announced two new born-digital collections are now available on
loc.gov – the Webcomics Web Archive and the Web Cultures Web Archive.
The Webcomics Web Archive (
https://www.loc.gov/collections/webcomics-web-archive/about-this-collection/)
focuses on comics created specifically for the web and supplements the
Library’s extensive holdings in comic books, graphic novels and original
comic art.
“Webcomics are an increasingly popular format utilized by
contemporary creators in the field and often include material by
artists not available elsewhere,” said Megan Halsband, a librarian in
the Serial and Government Publications Division.
Webcomics selected for this collection include award-winning comics
as well as webcomics that are significant for their longevity,
reputation or subject matter. The collection includes sites such as
Dinosaur Comics, Hyperbole and a Half, and XKCD. Also included are works
by artists and subjects not traditionally represented in mainstream
comics, including women artists and characters, artists and characters
of color, LGBTQ+ artists and characters, as well as subjects such as
politics, health and autobiography.
The Web Cultures Web Archive (
https://www.loc.gov/collections/web-cultures-web-archive/about-this-collection/)
is a representative sampling of websites documenting the creation and
sharing of emergent cultural traditions on the web such as GIFs, memes
and emoji. The project is part of the American Folklife Center,
established by Congress to document traditional cultural forms and
practices.
“The proliferation of smart phones, tablets and wireless internet
connection has positioned networked communication as a space where
people increasingly develop and share folklore,” said Elizabeth
Peterson, director of the American Folklife Center. “This effort will
help scholars 25 and 100 years from now have a fuller picture of the
culture and life of people today. “Sites included in the archive are
Urban Dictionary, Internet Meme Database, Emojipedia and Boing Boing.
The Library collected and is displaying these sites with permission. Any further use by the public may also require permission.
The Library has been archiving select websites since 2000 and has now
preserved more than a petabyte of web content, including collections of
federal executive, legislative and judicial websites; sites of
international governments; and national institutions such as the U.S.
Olympic Committee and the American Red Cross.
The webcomics and web cultures archives are among numerous
collections newly available online during the past year. Others include
the papers of U.S. Presidents Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and
William Henry Harrison; the papers of Sigmund Freud; a collection of
more than 4,600 newspapers from Japanese-American internment camps; and
25,000 fire-insurance maps from communities across America, the first
installment of 500,000 that will be accessible online.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering
access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive
materials from around the world — both on site and online. It is the
main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S.
Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other
programs and plan a visit at
loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at
congress.gov and register creative works of authorship at
copyright.gov.
PR 17-087
2017-06-13
ISSN 0731-3527