With one month to go until the closing date for applications for the Arquivo.pt 2025 Prize, the FCCN spoke to Luísa Ribeiro Lopes, President of the Board of Directors of .PT, the entity responsible for awarding the Honorable Mention to teachers.
The.PT representative highlighted the two entities' shared commitment to a more complete and informed internet, which contributes to a lasting partnership with Arquivo.pt, the digital service of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through the FCCN.
- .PT is once again a partner of the Arquivo.pt Award. How is this collaboration aligned with your mission?
.PT's mission is to promote the development of the Internet in Portugal. We believe that there is no future without memory, and that the development of the Internet, in particular, must also look to the past in order to build a more robust and informed future.
By preserving millions of web pages since the 1990s, Arquivo.pt ensures that Portugal's digital history remains accessible, combating the ephemeral nature of online information. We want this partnership to mirror our commitment to a more complete and informed Internet, reinforcing our mission to promote access to knowledge and the preservation of digital collective memory.
The Arquivo.pt Award is a way for us to materialize this commitment. It's a partnership that we greatly value and are very proud of, as it encourages the sharing of this memory with younger generations.
- Why do you consider it important to distinguish the work of teachers in encouraging the use of Arquivo.pt?
We recognize the fundamental role of teachers in shaping future generations. They are often the bridges between the past and the future, passing on knowledge and encouraging critical thinking in the generations under their care. The better these generations can research and access reliable information, the more tools they will have to be active citizens in their communities and personal and professional lives. This award honors the teachers who bridge this gap, and encourages more professionals to do so. By rewarding these educators, we are investing in a future where research and critical analysis of online information will be essential skills.
- How is the Arquivo.pt Award a benchmark for encouraging the safe preservation of online information?
The ephemeral nature of online information makes Arquivo.pt an invaluable resource, and this award highlights its usefulness for research and the production of knowledge in various areas, from Education to Health, History and Sociology. By giving visibility to projects that use Arquivo.pt, the award inspires others to exploit this resource and contribute to enhancing the preservation of online information.
- Which project won your honorable mention and why?
.PT's support for the Arquivo.pt Award began last year, when our Honorable Mention was awarded to Professor Ricardo Campos, from the University of Beira Interior (UBI). The professor encouraged the project "ArquivoNC - the archive web do Jornal de Notícias da Covilhã", a final-year project by student Rodrigo Dias da Silva.
This project, which struck us because of its local relevance and practical usefulness, provides access to ten years of news from the Notícias da Covilhã newspaper (2009-2019), preserved by Arquivo.pt. The initiative clearly demonstrated the potential of Arquivo.pt as a pedagogical and research tool, and the role of teacher Ricardo Campos was fundamental for his students to integrate this important tool into their research, as a source of information to take into account for this and future work.
- What do you value most in the projects that are candidates for this honorable mention?
We value projects that demonstrate creativity and innovation in the use of Arquivo.pt as a pedagogical resource, exploring its potential for research and learning. Projects that promote digital literacy, an understanding of the importance of preserving the web and that have a positive impact on students' learning. If the project has a digital inclusion component, a topic that is very close to .PT's heart, all the better. In addition, we value clarity in the presentation of the project and its ability to inspire other educators to use Arquivo.pt as a valuable tool in the teaching-learning process.
