Oct 30, 2023 15:00:00

A record of a visit to the physical archive warehouse of the Internet Archive, which works to preserve not only web pages but also books, records, videotapes and other media.

Many people have used the archive service '

Wayback Machine ' to check the past appearance of a web page. The non-profit organization ' Internet Archive ' that provides the Wayback Machine stores physical items such as books and records in addition to web pages. Journalist Richard Matzmanus has published a record of his visit to the Internet Archive's item storage warehouse.

A Visit to the Physical Internet Archive - The New Stack
https://thenewstack.io/a-visit-to-the-physical-internet-archive/

Below is a part of the collection published by the Internet Archive. In addition to electronic information such as web pages and Android apps, the Internet Archive also publishes scanned data of physical media such as books and records online.

The Internet Archive only releases scans of items it physically owns, so the items it collects are stored in a warehouse in Richmond, California.

Mr. Matzmanus took a tour of the Internet Archive's warehouse, where the Internet Archive logo is painted on the exterior wall.

Inside the warehouse, containers filled with items are lined up in a cramped space. The man in the red shirt in the photo is Brewster Kale, founder of the Internet Archive.

The Internet Archive collects items through donations, and books, movies, and other items are sent to the warehouse one after another. After checking that the items in the warehouse do not overlap with items already archived, they are scanned and digital copies are made available online. According to Karl, the Internet Archive digitizes 1 million books a year. In order to digitize the huge number of books, the Internet Archive has built its own book scanning system.

The Internet Archive also uses its own scanning system for media other than books. The photo below shows the scanning system they use to digitize old film.

Advanced scanning technology is also used to digitize records. The Internet Archive's digitization process is summarized in detail in the following article:

What method does the Internet Archive use to digitize records that are over 100 years old? - GIGAZINE

During the tour, Kale spoke about the Internet Archive's financial situation, saying, 'We receive 110,000 donations of $5 each (about 750 yen) and also receive funding from foundations that support the Internet Archive.'