Web Archive Switzerland
The Swiss National Library (NL) has set for itself the objective to establish a collection of websites of patrimonial importance and by doing so will be able to build a long-term repository to preserve and guarantee future access to this significant source of Swiss culture. This collection called Web Archive Switzerland is selective in its approach and can by no means aim for exhaustiveness. The websites are stored in the long-term digital archive of the NL.
The Web Archive Switzerland collection is being built up in partnership with the Swiss cantonal libraries and other interested institutions. The identification of websites and their preliminary indexing is carried out by the partner institutions. The NL is responsible for collecting the selected websites, listing them in Helveticat, archiving them and making them available.
Submission form
The website submission form is intended for partner institutions wishing to register websites with the NL for the Web Archive Switzerland collection.
Background document, information sheets, glossary and instructions
The background document describes the origin, the process, the content and the objectives as well as the steps taken to build the Web Archive Switzerland. The information sheets “Sammeln”, “Erschliessen”, “Archivieren”, and “Bereitstellen” contain the guidelines, recommendations and information concerning the single domains.
Webarchiv Schweiz: Grundlagen, 01.11.2025 (in German)
The background document describes the origin, the process, the content and the objectives as well as the steps taken to build the Web Archive Switzerland.
Webarchiv Schweiz: Merkblatt Sammeln, Version 2.4, 23.07.2024 (in German)
The information sheet “Sammeln” contains the basis for the creation of a collection of important patrimonial websites and defines the areas of collection and selection criteria.
Webarchiv Schweiz: Merkblatt Erschliessen, Version 2.3, 23.07.2024 (in German)
The information sheet “Erschliessen” contains the necessary instructions to fill out the web form as well as information concerning format and rules.
Webarchiv Schweiz: Merkblatt "Archivieren"
The information sheet "Archivieren" is currently being revised due to a system change.
Webarchiv Schweiz: Merkblatt "Bereitstellen"
The information sheet "Bereitstellen" is currently being revised due to a system change.
Webarchiv Schweiz: Glossar, Version 1.7, 19.04.2024 (in German)
The glossary contains the professional vocabulary as well as the abbreviations used in the information sheets of Web Archive Switzerland.
Webarchiv Schweiz: Anleitung zur Suche von Websites in Helveticat, February 2026 (in German)
The website search guide describes how you may search for websites in Helveticat using an extraction code, a URL, a Dewey number or by language.
Webarchiv Schweiz: Anleitung zu Dewey-Vergabe, Juli 2024 (in German)
The instructions help you to assign the correct Deweys when registering websites.
Interactive collage of websites: a deep dive into Web Archive Switzerland
Workshops
Web Archive Switzerland : Professional Development 2007
Web Archive Switzerland: Workshop 2008
Web Archive Switzerland: Workshop 2009
Web Archive Switzerland: Workshop 2012
Web Archive Switzerland: Workshop 2015
Information about importing data
After submitting the website using the online form and once the snapshot has been successfully archived, a bibliographic record will be generated in Helveticat.
The following documents list the MARC21 fields that appear in the bibliographic records for websites in Helveticat
1. Content taken from the submission web form (first version)
2. Content added automatically (first version)
3. Content that has been adapted over time