BBC News: Can the Internet Archive Save Our Digital History?

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Posted on May 5, 2025 by Chris Freeland
“A Time Machine for the Web” — the BBC just released a must-watch video on the Internet Archive and why our mission matters more than ever.


Inside the Internet Archive’s San Francisco headquarters, you’ll find racks of servers preserving humanity’s digital memory — from old websites to disappearing government data, books to historic videotapes.

“We are a digital library for our times — and hopefully, for all times,” says Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine.

But preserving access to information isn’t always easy. From political pressure to digital vanishing acts, the work of saving knowledge requires both care and courage.

In a time when websites can be taken down overnight — from climate change pages to stories celebrating diversity — the Wayback Machine ensures they’re not lost forever.

Former Air Force engineer Jessica Peterson, whose achievements were erased from the live web:

“I didn’t know [the Wayback Machine] existed… It gave me some relief.”

Whether you’re a researcher, student, journalist, or citizen — our goal is the same:
Universal access to all knowledge.

If you value a free and open internet, watch this video.

Posted in Announcements, News, Wayback Machine - Web Archive | Tagged BBC, BBC News, Wayback Machine |
New Digital Collection Preserves Key Books on Drug Use and Policy
Posted on April 22, 2025 by Caralee Adams

For many years, the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) maintained a large library of books on drug use and policy at its New York City headquarters. As researchers shifted to working online, DPA’s Jules Netherland said she noticed fewer people coming into the office to use the collection.


“It became clear if we really wanted people to benefit from our resources that digitization was the way to go,” said Netherland, managing director of the Alliance’s Department of Research and Academic Engagement. It was also an opportunity to add to the growing collection of the Substance Abuse Librarians and Information Specialists (SALIS).

DPA donated its book collection to the Internet Archive to image masking service be digitized and made available for lending and for the print disabled. A team was sent to New York to pick up the books, which were packaged onto three pallets and shipped to a facility for scanning and storage.

Now, the digital version of the DPA library, with 2,260 items, is available to the public at t is part of the larger SALIS collection of 8,647 items on alcohol and substance abuse digitized by SALIS.


The new donation covers books on a range of subjects going back to the 1900s, said Liz Rosenberg, donations manager for the Internet Archive. There are volumes on historical and cultural analysis of drug use, policy and politics around drugs, pharmacological studies, and books specific to a particular drug. Titles now digitized include: Deadly medicine: Indians and alcohol in early America; Between prohibition and legalization : the Dutch experiment in drug policy; Pain, analgesia, and addiction: the pharmacologic treatment of pain; and Meth wars : police, media, power.

The public has responded with curiosity. In January, 10,000 items were accessed in the digitized collection. Rosenberg speculates the audience is likely researchers, historians, healthcare providers, and policymakers.


Resource guide developed for the collection.
In the rapidly evolving field of drug policy, which spans many disciplines, Netherland said it’s important to provide evidence-based information to the public. The hope is to enhance advocacy efforts with easier access to the organization’s collection. DPA developed a resource guide to encourage its use on the Internet Archive.