UK General Election 2010 on the Web

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The UK General Election The UK General Election

2010 on the Web2010 on the Web

J.M. GrimshawJ.M. Grimshaw

May 28May 28thth 20102010

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What were we trying to do?What were we trying to do?

•• Demonstrate use of the web for:Demonstrate use of the web for:

•• Communication of policies by parties and Communication of policies by parties and

their candidatestheir candidates

•• Influencing of policy by interest groupsInfluencing of policy by interest groups

•• Promotion of public participationPromotion of public participation

•• Enable comparison with use of the web for 2005 Enable comparison with use of the web for 2005

general electiongeneral election

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Selection guidelinesSelection guidelines

Representative sample of candidates

sites, including social media

Local and national political parties

MC900056434[1]

Pressure groups,

professional societies, charities

News and comment –traditional media, political

blogs, polls

Public engagement –interactive sites

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SourcesSources

•• CandidatesCandidates’’ lists and links on party websiteslists and links on party websites

•• British Government Politics on the Internet, British Government Politics on the Internet,

Keele UniversityKeele University

•• Search engines Search engines –– main sourcemain source

•• Suggestions from colleaguesSuggestions from colleagues

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Barriers to SuccessBarriers to Success

•• Narrow window of opportunityNarrow window of opportunity

•• Permissions issuesPermissions issues

•• Technical challenges Technical challenges –– crawling 540 new titles crawling 540 new titles

when the normal monthly target is 30!when the normal monthly target is 30!

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Overcoming time pressuresOvercoming time pressures

Include sites already

identified for 2005

election, eg political parties

Collaborate –help from National

Libraries of Scotland and Wales + Commons Library

Start selecting in advance of the campaign

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Overcoming permissions issuesOvercoming permissions issues

•• Getting attention of candidates and parties during Getting attention of candidates and parties during the campaign is challengingthe campaign is challenging

•• But we do not normally archive sites without But we do not normally archive sites without formal written permission to avoid breaching formal written permission to avoid breaching copyrightcopyright

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Overcoming permissions issuesOvercoming permissions issues

Exercise due diligence – first seek formal permission to archive site

Demonstrate failure and move to

notice & take down

Not displayed as a collection due to sensitivities around

consultation on e-legal deposit

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Overcoming technical limitationsOvercoming technical limitations

First use of group scheduling (archiving large number of titles in a group, so that only

one schedule is needed)

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A Tour of the collection: candidatesA Tour of the collection: candidates’’

sitessites

•• Some make full use of Some make full use of

all social media all social media –– Nick Nick

Clegg is on Facebook Clegg is on Facebook

& Twitter as well as & Twitter as well as

running a campaign running a campaign

websitewebsite

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A tour of the collection: candidatesA tour of the collection: candidates’’

sitessites

•• Others use their local Others use their local

constituency party siteconstituency party site

•• May have little election May have little election

contentcontent

•• And a focus on local And a focus on local

issues!issues!

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A tour of the collection: national A tour of the collection: national

partiesparties

•• Includes selected Includes selected minor as well as three minor as well as three main partiesmain parties

•• Compare 2005 and Compare 2005 and 2010 election sites and 2010 election sites and manifestosmanifestos

•• Maintains left Maintains left wing/right wing and wing/right wing and religious/secular religious/secular balancebalance

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Minor partiesMinor parties

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A tour of the collection: interest A tour of the collection: interest

group sitesgroup sites

•• Encourage activismEncourage activism

•• Use video and social Use video and social

mediamedia

•• Offer manifestos and Offer manifestos and

briefingsbriefings

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A tour of the collection: interest A tour of the collection: interest

group sitesgroup sites

•• Trace change of Trace change of

approach and policy approach and policy

between electionsbetween elections

•• Compare EU Compare EU

Elections, & 2005 and Elections, & 2005 and

2010 general elections!2010 general elections!

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A tour of the collection: election A tour of the collection: election

blogsblogs

•• Academic/think tankAcademic/think tank

•• Party politicalParty political

•• JournalisticJournalistic

•• CandidatesCandidates

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A tour of the collection: news and A tour of the collection: news and

commentarycommentary

•• Focuses on BBC News Focuses on BBC News

coveragecoverage

•• Other news sites not Other news sites not

gathered due to gathered due to

sensitivities around sensitivities around

consultation on econsultation on e--legal legal

depositdeposit

•• Includes full Includes full

transcripts of TV transcripts of TV

debatesdebates

•• Archived dailyArchived daily

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A tour of the collection: public A tour of the collection: public

engagementengagement

•• Encourage activismEncourage activism

•• The The Straight ChoiceStraight Choicecollects and mounts collects and mounts

election leaflets election leaflets

photographed and sent photographed and sent

in by the publicin by the public

•• 5715 leaflets added on 5715 leaflets added on

May 18thMay 18th

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•• Encourage Encourage

interactivityinteractivity

•• Who should you vote Who should you vote for? for? -- answer quiz answer quiz

questions, and then questions, and then

the site will compare the site will compare

your views with those your views with those

of main political of main political

partiesparties

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•• Social media are Social media are

prominentprominent

•• UK 2010 general UK 2010 general election on Twitterelection on Twitter ––

offers tweets from offers tweets from

politicians, journalists, politicians, journalists,

media, votersmedia, voters

•• Archived dailyArchived daily

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Collection presentationCollection presentation

•• Organised into subject categoriesOrganised into subject categories

–– Research centres and think tanksResearch centres and think tanks

–– Regulation and guidanceRegulation and guidance

–– Public and community engagementPublic and community engagement

–– Election blogsElection blogs

–– Interest groupsInterest groups

–– News and commentaryNews and commentary

–– Political parties Political parties –– local and nationallocal and national

–– CandidatesCandidates

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Visual presentation of resultsVisual presentation of results

•• Visual analysis using Visual analysis using

tag cloudstag clouds

•• Used to show most Used to show most

frequently used words frequently used words

in political party in political party

websites in 2005 websites in 2005

electionelection

•• Coming soon for 2010 Coming soon for 2010

electionelection!!

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For future enjoyment!For future enjoyment!

•• UK general election 2010 collectionUK general election 2010 collection

–– Over 700 sitesOver 700 sites

–– All available in the UK Web ArchiveAll available in the UK Web Archive

–– http://www.webarchive.org.uk/http://www.webarchive.org.uk/

–– But not yet presented as a collection due to But not yet presented as a collection due to

introduction of subintroduction of sub--categories categories –– requires requires

technical adjustmenttechnical adjustment

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In the meantime In the meantime ……

use title or keyword search!use title or keyword search!

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ContactContact

Jennie GrimshawJennie Grimshaw

Curator, Official Publications and Social PolicyCurator, Official Publications and Social Policy

British LibraryBritish Library

96 Euston Road96 Euston Road

London NW1 2DBLondon NW1 2DB

Email: [email protected]: [email protected]

Education

UK General Election 2010 on the Web