Internet Archives Is the New Library of Alexandria

Digital preservation ensures it will never be burned.

In 1996, computer engineer and free information advocate; Brewster Kahle launched a grassroots digital library with the objective of curating a virtual destination with “universal access to all knowledge.”

Today, the organization continues to support information being in the public domain and now has access to an array of media that dates back as early as 1996. This includes 20 million pieces of text, four and a half million audio recordings, four million videos, three million images and 200,000 software programs. 

The most popular feature of Internet Archive is the Wayback Machine. Wayback Machine provides access to over 55 billion current and old versions of web pages, many of which are otherwise inaccessible on the internet. Wayback Machine has created a space where websites that would have otherwise been lost to time and technological advances can live on. 

When I was younger, I would spend hours playing Adobe Flash Player games. I remember exactly where I was when it was announced that the software  would no longer be updated, meaning all of the media it supported would be discontinued. At the time, my heart sank at the thought of never being able to play Super Chick Sisters, Papa’s Freezeria, or Bloons Tower Defense 3 ever-again. Games I thought were gone forever have since been restored to their original glory within the digital walls of the Wayback Machine. 

Digital preservation, which is what the team behind Internet Archive encourages, provides a means for technology to be stored in an eco-efficient, accessible manner to be used by everyone. Original media is kept alive and unaltered by technological advancement through this process. 

We are in the digital age. Today, all media—including online channels— holds important historical value. There is no database comparable to Internet Archive in terms of quality and quantity of content. Even more astonishing,  is it’s provided to the public free of cost. 

There have been threats to the sanction of the archive’s public nature. Internet Archive has been sued several times by companies and publishers who claim that the website infringes on their copyright. Those who are suing specifically have a problem with Internet Archive users having the ability to digitally ‘borrow’ books for up to two weeks. 

The borrowing system on Internet Archive is no different from at a local library. Everything is done for the purpose of the general public having free access to information. 

One of the most beautiful things about the Internet Archive is that it does not discriminate against what media is uploaded. Anyone who has registered to have an account is able to upload to the site. This is especially important because, historically, marginalized communities have been left out of the collection of data. This has resulted in huge gaps of information about  whole groups of people. 

Autobiography of an Androgyne written by Jennie June in 1918, chronicles what it  was like being a gender nonconformist in the early 20th century in America. The book contains important historical content about what it meant to be transgender during this time period. It gives an important outlook on dated medical history for transgender people, as well as how they lived their lives. Without the Internet Archive, this historic piece of queer media would be out of reach to the majority. 

Due to the vast amount of free content on the website, Internet Archive has  been popular among students since its origin. Textbooks, journals, and countless other types of information are available for download for any use on the database. 

This year, in my Introduction to Journalism course, the professor asked the class if anyone was familiar with the Internet Archive. Every hand in the class went up. Internet Archive is more than a website, it’s a current cultural landmark. 

Unlike the real-life Library of Alexandria, Internet Archive will never be torched by the Romans—all thanks to its construction in code.