Web Archiving by Activist-Archives

Benefits and Barriers

Authors

  • Bethany Aylward
  • Andrew Cox
  • Sara Vannini

Abstract

This article addresses the capability and willingness of activist-archivists to archive activist materials online. Community-based archiving has been vital in combatting the erasure of minoritized people in traditional archival praxis and creating archives that inspire activism. The typical hybridity of contemporary social movements, with groups coordinating action across online and offline environments, raises the question, Is web archiving a vital activity for activist-archivists? We ask whether activist groups are archiving digital activism and what barriers activist-archivists face in doing this. We report findings from a postmodern feminist ethnographic project engaging 16 activist-archivists from 10 community-based archives across northern England and Scotland, including feminist, anarchist, working-class, Black, and queer projects, as well as four archive-sector professionals. Our analysis shows that the same challenges plaguing community-based archives collecting physical materials – including limited volunteer time, expertise, and funding – persist and are perhaps exacerbated when it comes to digital content. It also reveals unanticipated obstacles, namely, beliefs in the ineffectualness of social media as vehicles for change as well as perceived risks connected to digitizing oppositional activist content.

Author Biographies

Bethany Aylward

Bethany Aylward is an early career researcher whose doctoral research investigated the capacity of community-based activist-archives to incorporate web archiving in their collecting remits. She has lectured on the archives and records management module as part of the MA Librarianship program at the University of Sheffield. She is also an active member of the Sheffield Feminist Archive organizing group.

Andrew Cox

Andrew Cox is a senior lecturer at the School of Information, Journalism and Communication, University of Sheffield. He coordinates the school’s teaching on archives and records management. Much of his research relates to the impact of digital technologies on information practices.

Sara Vannini

Sara Vannini is a lecturer at the School of Information, Journalism and Communication, University of Sheffield. She has been teaching courses related to information literacy and libraries and the information society for five years in the department’s librarianship program.

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Published

2026-06-18

How to Cite

Aylward, Bethany, Andrew Cox, and Sara Vannini. 2026. “Web Archiving by Activist-Archives: Benefits and Barriers”. Archivaria 101 (June):156-88. https://www.archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/article/view/14092.

Issue

Archivaria 101 (Spring 2026)

Section

Articles

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