The Internet Archive Is Preserving The Digital Library Of Alexandria
Techstrong.IT, Tuesday, March 31st, 2026
The concept of a library of everything has existed since the original Library of Alexandria, but in our modern era, that mission has moved into the digital realm. For over 28 years, the Internet Archive has taken on the monumental task of preserving our collective digital history and heritage.
Not just a small-scale backup project, the Internet Archive is a massive infrastructure undertaking that manages over 250 petabytes of data, including books, web pages, software, and video. As a non-profit, the Archive operates on a unique model that prioritizes public access and historical preservation over monetization, relying on a $30 million annual budget funded primarily by philanthropy rather than advertisements or user tracking. At Cloud Field Day, Joy Chesbrough showed us a little of what the Internet Archive does and how it is funded.