WASHINGTON: The Library of Congress, repository of the world’s largest collection of books, has set for itself the enormous task of archiving something less weighty and far more ephemeral — Americans’ billions of tweets.
The venerable US institution is assembling all of the 400 million tweets sent by Americans each day, in the belief that each of the mini-messages reflect a small but important part of the national narrative.
“An element of our mission at the Library of Congress is to collect the story of America, and to acquire collections that will have research value,” according to Gayle Osterberg, director of communications at the library.
The Library of Congress, located off the National Mall in Washington, houses millions of hard copy books and historic documents, and its online archives amass millions of additional works produced by Americans for more than two centuries.
Now it wants to be keeper of the nation’s brief Internet messages as well: Twitter in April 2010 inked a deal with the Library, giving it access to tweets dating back to the company’s inception in 2006.
Collecting the 140-character micro-missives, said Osterberg, is in keeping with the library’s main goal “to collect the story of America and to acquire collections that will have research value.”
One major challenge to the Library, however, is storing the messages from the popular social messaging site, which now number 170 billion. Twitter last month said the number of active users on the messaging platform has topped 200 million, most of whom are in the United States.
Tweets that have been deleted or that are locked will not be among those gathered by the Library of Congress.
Among the messages to be preserved for posterity are the first-ever tweets sent by one of the company’s founders, Jack Dorsey.
Also saved for all time is a famous tweet sent by President Barack Obama after his historic November 2008 victory to claim the White House in his first term.
“We just made history. All of this happened because you gave your time, talent and passion. All of this happened because of you. Thanks,” read the micro-message from the famously tech-savvy US president.
Unlike traditional bound books or even digital web pages, the real challenge of preserving tweets is keeping up with their number, which has continued to grow almost exponentially.
There were 140 million tweets sent each day in February 2011, but more than three times as many — about a half billion — by October 2012.
The Library of Congress’s tweets are being stored by Gnip, Inc., a social media aggregation company headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, which has put more than 133,000 gigabytes of storage space available.
Gnip says it is a particular challenge to gather tweets during “peak” times, such as news event watched the world over like the Japanese tsunami in March 2011, which generated many thousand tweets per second.
It has proven to be a Herculean challenge for Gnip to make tweets accessible to all those who wish to view them.
So far it has been unable to meet the demands of researchers worldwide who hope to access the archive. Even a search among the first four years of tweets, from 2006 to 2010, could take about 24 hours.
“It is clear that technology to allow for scholarship access to large data sets is lagging behind technology for creating and distributing such data,” said a recent white paper published by the Library of Congress.
“This is an inadequate situation,” the Library concluded, calling the massive archiving project “prohibitively costly.”
And yet Lee Humphreys, a professor of communication at Cornell University in New York, said that the brief online messages can reveal volumes “about the culture where they were produced.”
America archives its billions of tweets
America archives its billions of tweets
The secret keepers of desert balance in Saudi Arabia
- How the Kingdom’s wildcats control pests, protect public health, and sustain the ecosystem
RIYADH: During the summer of 2024, two desert lynx kittens were born in Taif as part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to protect and increase the population of caracals in the country.
Although caracals are critically endangered, wildcats in general play a significant ecological role in the Kingdom. They act as natural pest control, and Saudi Arabia is committed to conserving these species while increasing their populations to support a thriving ecosystem.
Despite the Kingdom’s harsh, arid climate, conditions are suitable for wildcats not only to survive but also to flourish. Among the terrestrial species inhabiting Saudi Arabia are sand cats, Arabian wildcats, and the desert lynx.
Felis margarita, or sand cats, are small — around 40-60 cm — with pale sandy fur that allows them to blend into the desert. They have a broad head, large ears, and long hair on the bottom of their feet to walk on hot sand.
“It is small in size and does not mate with other cats. It is the only cat species in the world with hair on the soles of its feet instead of skin to prevent it from sinking into the sand,” said Obaid Alouni, a Saudi environmentalist.
Alouni explained that one defensive technique sand cats use is to lie flat on the ground to avoid detection.
“It lies flat on the ground when it senses danger to avoid being noticed by other animals.”
These cats primarily feed on rodents and small reptiles, occasionally large insects, obtaining their water from their prey. Sand cats are native to West Asia and help regulate rodent and insect populations, preventing outbreaks and reducing disease spread.
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Interestingly, raising sand cats as domestic pets is becoming more popular, Alouni said. But he emphasized that adoption is easier when they are kittens, as they remain wild animals. Although widely distributed across the Kingdom, exact population numbers are difficult to determine due to their elusive nature. They are currently listed as “least concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Similar to sand cats, Arabian wildcats (Felis lybica) are found across the Arabian Peninsula and play a vital role in environmental health.
“They are wild cats that live independently without human intervention,” Alouni told Arab News.
Arabian wildcats resemble domestic cats but have thicker, sandy to grey-brown coats with faint stripes or spots and ringed tails with blunt tips. Like sand cats, they feed on rodents, birds, reptiles, and insects and are listed as “least concern” by the IUCN.
However, Alouni warned that pure populations of Arabian wildcats in Saudi Arabia could be threatened by hybridization with domestic cats.
“Currently, wild cats face the problem of interbreeding with domestic cats. This weakens their immune systems and makes them more susceptible to diseases from other cats,” he said.
“This contributes to the extinction of the purebred lineage and, consequently, the disappearance of their wild instincts,” he added.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Sand cats are the only cat species with hair on the soles of their feet, allowing them to walk on hot sand without sinking.
• Caracals, locally known as Al-Washaq, are native and endangered, capable of jumping 3 to 4 meters in a single leap.
• Pure populations of the Arabian wildcat are at risk due to hybridization with domestic cats.
While both species are desert dwellers, sand cats are harder to spot as they avoid heavily trafficked areas. They are mainly found in the Ad Dahna desert and the Empty Quarter, where sand dunes dominate the landscape. Arabian wildcats, however, inhabit rocky or mountainous areas such as the Tuwaiq Mountains, valleys, and farms with abundant small prey.
“Wild cats come around towns and villages, and unfortunately, begin mating with domesticated cats that people release outside,” Alouni explained. He stressed the importance of keeping domestic cats away from wildcat habitats, including deserts and camping sites.
The third wildcat species native to Saudi Arabia, the caracal or desert lynx, is critically endangered. “The lynx is classified in size between large and small, and is distinguished by its jump, which can reach 3 meters or even 4 meters in the sky,” Alouni described.
Locally known as Al-Washaq, desert lynx have reddish-tan coats, long legs, and black-tufted ears. They feed on birds, rodents, and sometimes small antelopes. Thankfully, these cats are protected under Saudi law due to their critically endangered status.
Hunting any sand cats, Arabian wildcats, or desert lynx can result in fines of approximately $20,000, according to the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.
“There is a very severe financial penalty in Saudi Arabia for anyone who hunts it,” Alouni added.
The Kingdom has strict regulations to protect endangered animals, criminalizing not only hunting or killing but also trade. Violators could face penalties of up to $8 million, up to 10 years in prison, or both.
Overall, sand cats, Al-Washaq, and Arabian wildcats are essential to maintaining a healthy environment in Saudi Arabia. By controlling rodent populations, they help prevent outbreaks that could threaten agriculture and public health.
