The Internet Archive is an American digital library with a stated mission of providing universal access to all knowledge. It offers free public access to collections of digitized materials, including books, websites, software applications, games, music, movies, and moving images. There are millions of books and other resources archived at The Internet Archive. Here’s a closer look at the site. Here’s what it’s like to search for something on The Internet Archive.
The Internet Archive is currently battling four of the largest publishing companies in the US over the idea of making its collection freely available. The lawsuit aims to protect “freedom of navigation” in cyberspace. The Internet Archive’s CEO has said that copyright laws don’t prevent it from lending books to individuals. Instead, he believes that the biggest barrier to this expansion is the proliferation of smartphone apps that contain proprietary content. Although the lawsuit is far from the only legal issue surrounding the Internet Archive, it’s an example of the tension between the media industries.
Founded in 1996 by computer engineer Brewster Kahle, the Internet Archive is a nonprofit organization that works to preserve the cultural artifacts uploaded to the Web. Its goal is to prevent the erasure of born-digital materials. The organization has partnered with more than 400 libraries worldwide to create a curated library of digitized material that is free and accessible for the public. This collection includes websites, music, videos, books, and moving images.
