As part of the transition to the new Web Management System (WMS), we are creating archives of all websites before they are migrated to the new platform (or before they are deleted, in the case of inactive, outdated, or unmaintained sites).
Why are archives being created?
During the migration process, sites often undergo content revisions and layout changes. To preserve a snapshot of each site prior to migration, we are capturing full archives of all websites in their pre-migration state.
We will also be working with you to archive and remove outdated, unmaintained websites. Archiving sites in full before deletion will preserve their content for future reference, without polluting search engine or artificial intelligence chat results with outdated information.
What will be archived?
Archive It allows us to save every page on your entire website in one publically accessible snapshot. You can navigate the archived version of the site just like your regular site.
Any pdfs you uploaded and added a link to on a page will also be archived along with the rest of your content.
External content you embedded or linked may not be archived.
If your site has image galleries set to "show media in a lightbox" (this is the default setting—on a live site, clicking the thumbnail image will open the full image in an overlay window), you will need to right click the thumbnail and click "open link in new tab" to access the archived version of the full-size image.
If your site has embedded YouTube videos, note that the archive will not include playable videos. Instead, you’ll see a black box where the video was.
The good news: the original video's URL is preserved in the archived page’s code. If you’re comfortable using your browser’s “Inspect” tool, you can right-click the black box, choose Inspect, and look for the video URL in the HTML. Copy that URL into your browser to view the video (as long as it’s still available on YouTube).
If that sounds too technical, don’t worry—just reach out via the WMS issue form, and ask us provide the video link for you.
When will your site be archived?
An archive will be created shortly before your site is migrated to the new WMS (or deleted). To check your site's position in the migration queue, visit the Migration Phases page (McGill VPN required).
How to access your site’s archive
All archives are created using Archive-It, a tool that saves web content to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. These are available in the publicly accessible McGill Web Archives collection.
To access your archive:
Search for your site using the site name in the collection’s search bar. If your site doesn’t appear, it likely hasn’t been archived yet.
Click the archived URL for your site.
Select the latest capture date (indicated by a blue circle).
Click the timestamp to view the archived version of your site.
Requesting an archive for your site
Even if your site isn’t currently scheduled for migration or deletion, it’s a good idea to create a backup before making significant changes.
To request an archive, fill out the WMS issue request form and indicate in the "Question" field that you'd like an archive created for your site.
Archiving individual pages
Old, outdated web content can have an negative impact on your site's SEO, create unnecessary maintenance work for your team, and confuse your visitors. Learn how to archive and remove old content.
