Internet Archive starts backing up digital books on paper

The Internet Archive has initiated an ambitious project to back up digital books by storing physical copies of every published work. Brewster Kahle, the founder, emphasizes the importance of preserving one physical copy of each book, record, and movie to ensure long-term access and fidelity. The rationale includes potential disputes over digital versions and the need for future rescanning at higher resolutions. Kahle also highlights the unresolved challenges of long-term digital storage, such as data loss and bit rot, which can affect even the most reliable systems. The Internet Archive aims to preserve 10 million books, out of an estimated 100 million published, using climate-controlled shipping containers in a facility in Richmond, California. Each book will be cataloged with acid-free inserts, and the storage system will maintain optimal conditions to protect the materials. The organization is actively seeking contributions from libraries and individual collectors to achieve its goal of comprehensive preservation.

- The Internet Archive plans to store one physical copy of every published book.

- The project aims to preserve 10 million books in climate-controlled conditions.

- Concerns over digital storage reliability and potential disputes over digital fidelity drive the initiative.

- The organization is soliciting contributions from libraries and collectors to expand its collection.

- The facility in Richmond, CA, will utilize modified shipping containers for storage.