PANDORA

In 1996, the National Library of Australia (NLA) initiated PANDORA to archive selected Australian online publications - anything from whole websites to individual government documents. This project was established at a time when an increasing amount of Australian information was being published on the web instead of in print publications. It was clear that these types of publications represented an important part of Australia's published heritage.

PANDORA uses a collaborative approach to ensure broad coverage of Australian topics, and reduce possible duplications of effort and costs. The State Library of Victoria has been an active participant in the project since 1998. Other partners include the State Libraries of South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland as well as ScreenSound Australia, the Northern Territory Library and Information Services, and the Australian War Memorial. The aim of the PANDORA project is to:

• establish an archive of selected Australian online publications such as electronic journals, organisational sites, government publications and ephemera
• develop policy and procedures for the preservation and provision of access to Australian online publications
• develop a national strategy for the long-term preservation of online publications.

The PANDORA archive contains selected material that demonstrates how Australians use the web to publish all kinds of information on a wide range of interests and activities. These include online personal poetry, material on the federal elections, local community protest sites, literary awards, and so on. Information about the number and size of archived sites is readily available on the PANDORA statistics webpage.

PANDORA selection guidelines

Each PANDORA partner selects publications for archiving based on specified guidelines. The State Library of Victoria's selection guidelines, which are outlined in the Australian History & Literature section of the Collection & Resources Development Policy, emphasise Victorian content and research value. Promotional and advertising sites, organisational records, and sites which only serve the purpose of organising internet information, are generally not considered. A complete list of selected archived Victorian sites is available on the PANDORA website.