About
Archive-It is a user-controlled, web-based platform developed by the Internet Archive that empowers institutions to capture, curate, and permanently preserve digital content from the web. As the leading service for digital cultural heritage preservation, it is used by more than 1,200 organizations across 45+ countries, ranging from public libraries and universities to national archives and government agencies. The platform encompasses three core product lines: Archive-It for web archiving (enabling organizations to build publicly accessible, curated collections), ARCH for text and data mining (allowing researchers to computationally analyze large digital collections and produce datasets and visualizations), and Vault for digital preservation (a low-cost repository for storing, managing, and safeguarding digital files). Organizations can browse and contribute to over 10,000 curated collections spanning local history, science, arts, education, nonprofits, government, and more. Notable partners include the University of Minnesota, Lincoln Center, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Alabama State Archives. Archive-It is ideal for institutions needing to document disappearing online content, support large-scale research workflows, comply with digital records mandates, or build permanent public-access collections. Its non-profit Internet Archive backbone ensures robust, mission-driven infrastructure built for longevity.
Key Features
- Web Archiving: User-controlled tools to capture and curate publicly accessible web archives and born-digital collections from any website.
- ARCH Text & Data Mining: Research service enabling computational analysis of large digital collections, dataset creation, and data visualization.
- Vault Digital Preservation: A low-cost, easy-to-use digital repository to store, manage, and preserve digital files and collections for the long term.
- 10,000+ Curated Collections: Browse and contribute to a vast library of publicly searchable web archive collections across history, science, arts, and more.
- Global Partner Network: A trusted ecosystem of 1,200+ partner organizations—libraries, governments, nonprofits, and universities—across 45+ countries.
Use Cases
- Public libraries archiving local community websites, neighborhood history pages, and digital newspapers for permanent public access.
- Universities capturing institutional web content, academic publications, and event archives to complement physical library collections.
- Government agencies preserving public records, policy documents, and official web presences for compliance and historical record.
- Nonprofits and cultural institutions documenting their organizational history, campaigns, and community impact online.
- Researchers building large-scale digital datasets from web archives for computational text analysis and academic study.
Pros
- Trusted Non-Profit Infrastructure: Built on the Internet Archive's proven, mission-driven infrastructure, ensuring long-term access and reliability for preserved content.
- Broad Institutional Adoption: Over 1,200 organizations worldwide use Archive-It, demonstrating its credibility and maturity as a preservation solution.
- Comprehensive Preservation Ecosystem: Combines web archiving, text and data mining, and digital preservation in one integrated suite of tools.
Cons
- Institution-Focused, Not Individual-Friendly: Primarily designed for libraries, universities, and organizations—not suited for personal or small-scale use.
- Opaque Pricing: Subscription costs are not publicly listed and require direct contact, making cost evaluation difficult upfront.
- Learning Curve for New Users: The full feature set, especially ARCH for data mining, may require training and technical expertise to use effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Archive-It?
Archive-It is a web-based subscription service from the Internet Archive that allows institutions to create, curate, and provide public access to web archives and born-digital collections.
Who uses Archive-It?
Archive-It is used by over 1,200 organizations including public libraries, universities, national archives, government agencies, and nonprofits in more than 45 countries.
What is ARCH?
ARCH is Archive-It's research and data processing service that enables users to build, analyze, and study large digital collections computationally, and to create datasets and data visualizations.
What is Vault?
Vault is Archive-It's digital preservation repository—a low-cost, easy-to-use service for storing, managing, and long-term preserving digital files and collections.
Is Archive-It free to use?
Archive-It is a paid subscription service aimed at institutions. Pricing varies by organization type and collection needs; contact Archive-It directly for a quote.
