Internet Archive Is Now a Federal Depository Library

Summary

While documents stored on microfiche or microfilm are easy to copy, they aren’t easy to access. The GPO has been moving toward digital preservation since 2016 and runs an online database of government records, and in recent years, it has ramped up efforts to digitize the Federal Depository Library Program. Participating libraries have largely pivoted to the GPO’s digital approach, but digitizing countless physical documents is a massive undertaking — one that the Internet Archive has experience with. For years, the Internet Archive has helped libraries and other academic institutions in digitizing their collections and hosting them online. In 2022, it launched Democracy’s Library, a free online compendium of government research and publications. Joining the Federal Depository Library Program is the next step in the evolution of Democracy’s Library, Kahle said. The Archive is “just doing what it’s always been doing,” but now, it’s more convenient. “By being part of the program itself, it just gets us closer to the source of where the materials are coming from, so that it’s more reliably delivered to the Internet Archive, to then be made available to the patrons of the Internet Archive or partner libraries,” he continued. Laura Gibbs looks at memorabilia at the Internet Archive offices in San Francisco. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) The organization has faced legal challenges over some of its archival practices. Its Open Library was at the center of a yearslong legal battle after four major publishers sued the Internet Archive for temporarily lifting its waitlists in 2020 — instead of loaning its digital copies to one user at a time. By doing so, the publishers alleged, the Internet Archive illegally provided free e-books. Last year, an appeals court upheld a 2023 federal court decision that ruled against the Internet Archive. The organization has had to remove more than half a million titles since the lawsuit started. The Internet Archive has also been targeted by major music ...