By Patricia Sleeman
Digital storytelling, such as news pieces, videos, and reports, is an integral part of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency’s digital memory. As the content that showcases the stories of the communities we work with and for is primarily held on digital and web-based platforms, preserving it for future generations requires long-term, thought-out digital preservation strategies – the digital preservation team in the Records and Archives Section (RAS) play an integral part in developing these.
Today, archives go beyond the traditional concept of what an archive looks and feels like – they are as digitally diverse as the world we live in, allowing for greater access and collaboration. However, this reliance on ever-changing and interdependent technology (software and hardware) poses both challenges and threats to our digital archives’ durability over time.
RAS manages a growing and diverse digital archive of 200 terabytes (roughly 67 billion single-spaced pages). Below, you can find some of the platforms where forcibly displaced and stateless people share their stories in their own words and learn about the challenges of safeguarding these memories.
Storytelling with purpose
In their displacement, the communities we work with and for are often forced to leave their belongings or loved ones behind. Therefore, storytelling provides a vehicle for people to reclaim their identities, narratives and memories. Here are some resources in our Web Archive, where users can find content spanning over several years – in some cases, the live website no longer exists or the content has changed over time.
- “Telling the Real Story” [1]. Storytelling can also contribute to making informed decisions, as is the case with this platform. By amplifying the voices of forcibly displaced people, it challenges the narratives put forward by smugglers and traffickers and empowers asylum-seekers, refugees, and other people on the move to make informed decisions about their immediate courses of action and the risks associated with those choices.
- “TRACKS” [2]. Starting out with a focus on Syrians displaced and dispersed by the civil war, TRACKS then became a global storytelling platform. Through news stories, videos, the platform also highlights the stories of UNHCR colleagues who reflected on their experiences as aid workers.
- “KORA“[3] Featuring stories of forcibly displaced and stateless people in West and Central Africa, Kora showcases their resilience, hopes, and challenges, amplifying their voices through powerful news stories, profiles, and videos that foster empathy and raise awareness.
- “Refugee Stories: Life-threatening sea journeys” [4]. True to its name, this platform features the stories and testimonies of those who took perilous journeys by sea. From the Mediterranean to the Caribbean Sea, it sheds light on their experiences of survival, loss, and hope, offering a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by refugees and migrants on these dangerous routes.
Websites do not last forever, but their content should
As research shows that the average technological lifespan for a website is under three years, the challenges to keeping content such as the platforms highlighted above alive are tremendous. So, what are the main challenges our RAS team faces in preserving digital content?
- Vendor lock-in
Never before have the stories of so many been held by so few. As large companies manage and store our data, the rules governing these information systems remain unclear. This raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of digital information and whether we will be able to retrieve it from these platforms in the future, posing a serious threat to its preservation and accessibility over time.
If you need assistance reading the infographic, you can find a Word document version here.
- Rapidly changing technology
With physical archives, books can last for centuries if kept in the right conditions. However, a PDF, the most commonly used and long-lasting format, is estimated to have a maximum lifespan of 30 years. So, assessing the best formats in which to digitally preserve and migrate content is a constant challenge.
- Changes in business model
Not only does technology evolve rapidly, but also industry leaders change systems, formats, or discontinue support with little notice. A key example is Flash Player, which once powered many early internet games and videos but was phased out in 2020. This affected a popular educational game developed by UNHCR and partners. Thanks to RAS, the game was successfully recreated, ensuring its preservation and continued use.
While the challenges keep mounting, UNHCR remains one of the leaders in digital preservation across UN agencies, with a digital records management strategy that spans 25 years. Thanks to the continued work of our small team of digital archivists, our storytelling platforms will remain active, and so do the voices of the communities we support.
—
Our storytelling efforts are a critical part of our work at UNHCR, allowing us to better understand past experiences and deliver on our mandate. Reach out to the Records & Archives team for any questions: [email protected].
[1] https://webarchive.archive.unhcr.org/20200628024814/https://www.tellingtherealstory.org/en/
[2] https://webarchive.archive.unhcr.org/20151216120717/http://tracks.unhcr.org/
[3] https://webarchive.archive.unhcr.org/20191026010417/http://kora.unhcr.org/
[4]https://webarchive.archive.unhcr.org/20171024051305/http://stories.unhcr.org/