Web Archival Service Policy

1. Purpose

The Web Archival Service exists to provide a best-effort historical snapshot of departmental websites that are being retired or substantially changed. The Service is intended for institutional memory and historical reference only, not for ongoing operations, compliance, or content maintenance.

This Service is intentionally limited in scope. It is not a general-purpose hosting platform, a content management system, or a guaranteed continuity service.

2. Eligibility

Archival services are available only under the following circumstances:

• A department is shutting down its web operations, or substantially changing the function, structure, or purpose of a website, and
• The existing content has clear historical or institutional value.

The Service is not available for:

• Active websites
• Temporary backups
• Redundancy, disaster recovery, or failover
• Sites intended to remain publicly current
• Sites seeking indefinite preservation guarantees
• Sites requesting future edits, updates, or maintenance

Approval to archive is at the sole discretion of the Service operator.

3. Scope of Service

The Service consists of:

• Capturing a static copy of the website as provided at the time of archival
• Publishing that copy at a designated archival address

The Service does not include:

• Content edits, corrections, or updates
• Accessibility remediation
• Functional repair of broken features
• Database exports or reconstruction
• Server-side processing or application logic
• Ongoing maintenance of links, scripts, or assets

Archived sites are provided as-is.

4. Turnaround Time

• Standard turnaround time is up to one (1) week from receipt of a complete and approved request.
• Expedited requests are not available.
• Delays may occur due to technical constraints, workload, or incomplete source material.

5. Source Site Status

In most cases, the original website is expected to be removed from its original address following archival.

Exceptions may be made when:

• The archive represents a historical snapshot prior to a major redesign or functional change, and
• The original site remains active in a substantially different form

The Service does not manage redirects, DNS changes, or public communications related to site retirement.

6. Addressing and Naming

Archived sites will be published under the following pattern:

https://web-archive.mst.edu/<original-subdomain>

If the original subdomain is unavailable:

• A reasonable alternative will be selected by the Service operator
• Naming decisions are final

No guarantees are made regarding URL permanence.

7. Functionality Limitations

Archived sites are static representations of their original state.

As a result:

• Interactive features will not function
• Forms, search, logins, and dynamic content will fail
• Embedded third-party services may not load
• Scripts may partially or fully break over time

Original functionality will not be restored or simulated. The archive will be presented as captured.

8. Link Rot and Degradation

Over time:

• Internal and external links may become broken
• Embedded assets may fail to load
• Rendering issues may emerge as browsers and standards evolve

This degradation is expected and unavoidable.

No fixes, updates, or corrections will be performed once an archive is published.

9. Preservation and Integrity

Archival preservation is best effort only.

The Service:

• Makes no guarantees regarding data integrity
• Makes no guarantees regarding duration of availability
• Does not commit to any specific retention period

Archives may be:

• Modified for technical reasons
• Migrated to different platforms
• Removed entirely

These actions may occur at any time, without notice.

10. Accessibility and Compliance

Archived sites:

• Are not maintained for accessibility compliance
• Are not remediated to meet current or future standards
• May not meet future institutional, legal, or regulatory requirements

In the event of updated requirements, archives may be removed from public viewing.

11. Cost

• The Service is provided at no cost
• Availability is dependent on existing resources
• No service-level agreements (SLAs) are offered

12. Requests and Responsibilities

By requesting archival services, departments acknowledge and accept that:

• The archive is a historical snapshot only
• No edits or updates will be made
• No guarantees are provided
• Availability may end at any time

Requests that attempt to negotiate exceptions, special handling, or ongoing support will be declined.

13. Policy Changes

This policy may be updated, revised, or withdrawn at any time.

Continued availability of archived content does not imply continued support or endorsement of this Service.