French library archives internet for 30 years

The French National Library, known as the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), has been archiving the Internet for 30 years, preserving 64 billion pages of digital content. This effort began in 1996 with the goal of preserving France’s digital memory, expanding over time to include a broader range of online content through evolving legal frameworks.

Collection methods and scale

The BnF uses robots and targeted campaigns by librarians to collect nearly 6 million websites and 4 billion pages each year. These archives include a wide range of content, such as political and social events, electoral web content since 2002, and specialized collections like those related to the Covid-19 pandemic since January 2020.

Research and partnerships

The BnF is also researching Skyblogs, a type of digital diary or journal, through a partnership with the École nationale des chartes. This collaboration aims to better understand and preserve these unique forms of digital expression and their role in historical documentation.

Access and research opportunities

The archives are accessible to the public in research spaces at the BnF and partner libraries. Users can search by web address, date, keyword, or follow thematic paths to explore the collections, offering a rich resource for historians, researchers, and the general public.

Future legal deposit and preservation

To address the challenge of preserving digital content that is not published on websites, the BnF is preparing a digital legal deposit system. The Darcos law, passed in December 2021, mandates the legal deposit of digital documents, with full implementation planned for 2027.

Future conference on digital archives

To reflect on the future of these collections, the BnF is organizing a conference on November 20, 2026, at its Richelieu site in Paris. The event will bring together experts to discuss the ongoing challenges and opportunities in digital preservation and access.