Today we feature a slightly different resource available for student and faculty use: the Internet Archive!

Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. With a mission to "provide Universal Access to All Knowledge, the archive began in  archiving the Internet in 1996, when the internet itself was just beginning to come into its own. Like newspapers, the content published on the web was ephemeral - "but unlike newspapers, no one was saving it" as the Internet Archive website says.  They do this using their Wayback Machine, which uses web crawlers to collect digital media. As a library itself, the Internet archive prioritizes book preservation and digitization. Many books published prior to 1927 are available for download, and countless modern books through its Open Library site. They also try to make their digitized books are available to people with print disabilities. They have also been recording T.V. media since 2000, and have been working on making newscasts searchable by captions since 2009.

As of today, the Internet Archive houses

You can also find video games stored on their servers! 

Also, as of October 11, 2022 the Internet Archive has launched a COVID-19 Web Archive. This archive curates web archive collections, including the Athens Regional Library System’s Athens, Georgia Area COVID-19 Response collection, New York University’s Tamiment Wagner: NYC COVID-19 Web Activism collection, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s COVID-19 Collection and more.

While a varied and incredibly useful source, the Internet Archive has had to face many battles over copyright, most recently against book publishers over issues of digital book access. 

So whether you're doing research on internet culture in 2003 or simply want to watch Nosferatu (1922), we recommend taking a trip through the Wayback Machine!