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G2S Project Code: 2023-MT-94018
State: Montana
Fiscal Year: 2023
Grantee
Montana State Library

Project Director
Director Name: Jim Kammerer
Director Phone: 406-444-5432
Director Email: jkammerer@mt.gov
General Information
Title: Government Information
State Project Code: LSTA 23 GOV
Start Date: 07/01/2023
End Date: 06/30/2024
Abstract: Montana State Library enhanced the accessibility and searchability of Montana state, county, school district, library district, and tribal government information. The library preserved "born-digital" government documents, such as PDF reports posted on agency websites, by saving the information for public use and storage. These documents were made available through Archive-It, a platform designed for capturing and preserving dynamic web content. The library also provided public access to digitized government publications dating from the 1860's to the present on the Internet Archive. The two collections together contained over 367M items, the largest source of Montana government information anywhere, and empowered Montanans to access and engage with government information, fostering greater transparency and providing the tools needed for informed participation in communities.
State Goal: Library Access
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$26,000.00
$138,984.46
$0.00
$164,984.46
Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.
Government
Activities
Activity Details
Title: Government Web Archive Collection
Narrative: The Montana State Library used Archive-It to preserve dynamic web content from 1,973 websites representing Montana state and local governments. Last year, the library archived 11,443,732 documents from these websites. This project ensured vital government information remained accessible to the public, even as websites changed or were removed. By creating a searchable archive, the library enabled users to explore topics such as courts, Medicaid, and equal pay, which collectively received 6,566 views in the past year. The archive provided a reliable resource for researchers, students, and citizens seeking trustworthy information about government operations, fostering transparency and public engagement with essential digital content.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Preservation
Format: Digital


Quantity
Number of items conserved, relocated to protective storage, rehoused, or for which other preservation-appropriate physical action was taken: 11,443,732
Number of items reformatted, migrated, or for which other digital preservation-appropriate action was taken: 0
Number of preservation plans/frameworks produced/updated (i.e. preservation readiness plans, data management plans): 0


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 2
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Activity Details
Title: Government Digitized Publications Collection
Narrative: Montana State Library's digitized government publications collection on the Internet Archive received 449,620 views, highlighting its importance in providing public access to historic and contemporary state documents. Popular items included annual reports from state agencies, executive orders, and legislative audit reports. Staff enhanced access by refining bibliographic records and adding links to multiple platforms, such as the Montana Shared Catalog and the Montana History Portal. This work ensured that researchers, students, and the public could easily explore Montana's governmental history while gaining valuable context for understanding current government operations.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Creation
Format: Digital


Quantity
Number of items digitized: 1,792
Number of items digitized and available to the public: 30,651
Number of physical items: 0
Number of open-source applications/software/systems: 0
Number of proprietary applications/software/systems: 0
Number of learning resources (e.g. toolkits, guides): 0
Number of plans/frameworks: 0


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 2
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
Montana State Library evaluated its preservation policies and decided to extract files from Archive-It, a subscription service of the Internet Archive, for local retention. This year, the library extracted and delivered 6.5 terabytes of WARC (Web Archive) files captured from the mt.gov domain between November 2021 and January 2024.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
A cyber-attack outage at the Internet Archive in fall 2024 proved the importance of maintaining copies of irreplaceable archive files in the State's data center. While the library also hosts these materials in the cloud, it now also keeps files in another format that can be easily restored in the case of outages or cyber security incidences.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
Many government documents are now born digital, but they are not always formatted for seamless metadata extraction or integration into archival databases like the Internet Archive. The Montana State Library plans to dedicate more time to improving metadata and enhancing accessibility. Additionally, the library intends to explore how AI tools could streamline these processes, making preservation and access more efficient.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative
Project Tags: web archival, government publications