South Portland digital preservation firm HistoryIT LLC said the acquisition of Chicago-based LifeWeb 360 will allow the organizations to expand how they preserve and use history.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition resulted in the launch of a new service called MemoryPort, a digital commemoration platform for “people-centered” organizations such as nonprofits, alumni associations and professional associations.
The platform allows organizations to invite members and alumni to share memories and upload photos through a branded, searchable commemoration site and provides opt-in updates.
Beyond traditional archives
HistoryIT was established in 2011 by Kristen Gwinn-Becker to offer digital archive services designed to help managers of historical collections organize, catalog, search and share their archives digitally.
Headquartered at 202 Gannett Drive in South Portland, the company has about two dozen employees and serves hundreds of clients ranging from individuals to universities and professional associations. The goal is to transform scattered and fragile archives into accessible institutional memory.
Gwinn-Becker was named to Inc. magazine’s 2024 Female Founders 250 list.
LifeWeb 360 was created in 2019 as a digital platform to create online memorials. Its main service was to allow individuals and organizations to create tribute pages that allow sharing of stories, photos and videos of a loved one.
The acquisition of LifeWeb 360 represents an investment in HistoryIT’s ability to preserve organizational history beyond traditional archives, according to a news release.
History happening now
For 15 years, HistoryIT has helped organizations preserve historical materials and make them accessible as a usable asset.
The creation of “MemoryPort by HistoryIT” is meant to incorporate “history happening in the present” and to ensure contemporary stories are captured as they are shared and organized in a structured, searchable and brand-aligned system. The MemoryPort system includes moderation, analytics and data support.
“As demand grows for trusted, usable digital history, we’re intentionally expanding how organizations can preserve not just their past, but the stories unfolding today,” said Gwinn-Becker. “MemoryPort creates a way for communities themselves to participate in that preservation, while ensuring organizations can steward those stories responsibly over time.”