Archiving this site

4/23/2025

Under revision

Perplexity was asked (4/20/2025) 'is there anything useful that can be done with this site?' 

Given your site’s focus on elementary symbolic logic and its open-source core, there are several potential avenues for continued value: - 

  • Educational Reference: Even if the teaching methods or interface feel dated, the core logic content and exercises may still be useful for educators, students, or researchers interested in the history of online logic instruction.
  • Open Source Contribution: Since the core software is open-sourced on GitHub, others may benefit from your work or build upon it, especially in educational technology or digital humanities.
  • Archival Value: As a piece of early web-based educational technology, your site could have historical or research value, documenting how symbolic logic was taught online in the past.

Should You Archive It?

Archiving is recommended for several reasons:

  • Historical Documentation: Preserves the evolution of online logic education and web-based learning tools[3][6].
  • Future Reference: Allows others to access, study, or reuse your materials and code, especially if linked from academic work or cited elsewhere[6][7].
  • Compliance & Preservation: Ensures the content isn’t lost due to technical obsolescence or hosting changes[5][7].

How to Archive Your Drupal-Based Site

Here are practical steps and best practices for archiving your website:

  • Manual Archiving - Save key web pages as PDFs or static HTML files. - Use tools like browser “Print to PDF” or screenshot extensions for visual records[1]. - Store files in a shared, reliable location (e.g., Google Drive, institutional repository)[1].
  • Automated/Web Archiving Tools - Use services like [Webrecorder](https://webrecorder.net) to create a WACZ (Web Archive Zipped) file, which preserves interactive site features and can be replayed with dedicated viewers[2][6]. - Consider the Internet Archive’s “Wayback Machine” or Archive-It for broader web preservation[6]. - For Drupal sites, exporting the database and files is also recommended to preserve the backend structure and content.
  • Open Source Code Ensure your GitHub repository is well-documented, with a clear README and license, so others can understand and reuse your code.
  • Best Practices Document the purpose, history, and usage of the site and software for future users or researchers[3][5]. - If keeping the site online in a reduced or static form, consider a landing page explaining its archival status and linking to the GitHub repo and any static or archived versions[3][7].  

Additional Suggestions

  • **Contact Libraries or Archives**: Some university or public libraries may be interested in preserving educational web content, especially if you have institutional ties[6][7]. -
  • **Share with the Community**: Announce the archival or sunsetting of the site in relevant forums, mailing lists, or educational communities to alert potential users or archivists. -
  • **Legal and Privacy Review**: Ensure no sensitive or personal data is inadvertently archived or shared, especially if user data was involved[5].
  •  

Summary

Your site and software still have potential educational and historical value. Archiving—using a combination of manual exports, web archiving tools, and code preservation—is highly recommended to ensure your work remains accessible and useful for future reference and research[1][2][3][5][6][7].

Sources

[1] Archiving websites and web content https://websites.ucsc.edu/guides/archiving-websites-and-web-content/

[2] Best practices for archiving websites : r/datacurator - Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/datacurator/comments/18bmx01/best_practices_for_archiving_websites/

[3] Best practices for archiving and deleting content - Content Strategy Inc. https://contentstrategyinc.com/best-practices-for-archiving-and-deleting-content/

[4] Education Web and Social Media Archiving | Pagefreezer https://www.pagefreezer.com/education/

[5] Data Archiving Best Practices - Record Nations https://www.recordnations.com/blog/data-archiving-best-practices/

[6] Web Archiving 101 https://archives.newschool.edu/programs-and-services/web-archiving-101

[7] Creating Preservable Websites | For Site Owners | Web Archiving https://www.loc.gov/programs/web-archiving/for-site-owners/creating-preservable-websites/ 

[8] Global Relay's Complete Guide to Website Archiving https://www.globalrelay.com/resources/guides-reports/website-archiving/