The Internet Archive, a nonprofit digital library offering free services and participating in the national conversation regarding copyrights and free expression, has now gained official recognition as a source for government documents. California Senator Alex Padilla revealed that the website will become one of over 1,000 libraries across the nation responsible for preserving government documents for public accessibility. In contrast to other federal depository libraries, the Archive operates entirely online. This news was initially reported by KQED in San Francisco, which interviewed Padilla and Archive founder Brewster Kahle about their aim to “universalize” knowledge through the process of digitization. Kahle highlighted the importance of incorporating these resources into platforms such as Wikipedia to enhance the internet infrastructure and offer digital learners improved access to government documents.
This recognition is particularly important given that the Trump administration has removed information from federal websites via new “anti-woke” executive orders. Visitors to the Archive will now have the ability to access primary government sources, in addition to user-uploaded content and materials saved from accessible websites. The Internet Archive operates the Wayback Machine, an online repository that has captured web history for over 28 years, and works with libraries to identify significant online archival materials through its Archive-It project.
“As a federal depository library, the Internet Archive will assist in dismantling barriers so that communities from throughout the nation and globally can obtain federal government publications online,” Padilla conveyed to Scott Matheson, superintendent of documents for the Government Publishing Office. “The Archive will support the Government Publishing Office in its objective to digitize and render federal publications accessible.” Legally, members of Congress can recommend up to two eligible libraries for depository designation. Some institutions have given up their status due to difficulties in storing large volumes of physical materials, leading to a greater emphasis on mass digitization initiatives.
The Internet Archive has encountered various copyright lawsuits claiming it operates as an “unlicensed digital copyrighting and distribution business” responsible for providing “derivative works” that necessitate permissions for distribution. The Archive and its advocates assert that it functions as a specialized library entitled to preserve materials, including books, music, and other documents, in its online database. Government documents do not have copyright restrictions.
In the previous year, the website underwent multiple cyberattacks that resulted in a prolonged outage and the suspension of both the Archive and its Wayback Machine. Hackers alleged that they had gained access to millions of user profiles and support tickets to highlight security vulnerabilities within the website’s backend.
“The Internet Archive has eliminated numerous obstacles to accessing information,” remarked Padilla. In October, the website recorded its achievement of reaching 1 trillion archived pages.