This article examines Brewster Kahle’s and the Internet Archive’s initiative to create a physical archive of printed books — a kind of “Noah’s Ark.” Launched in 2011 in Richmond, California, the project aims to preserve one copy of every book ever published as a reliable backup against the risks of the digital age. The books are stored in specially adapted containers under strictly controlled temperature and humidity conditions. The purpose is not reader access, but long-term preservation of the originals in case electronic versions are lost, damaged, or altered. The author justifies the need for such an archive with four key arguments: (1) electronic media are fragile and vulnerable; (2) digitization does not guarantee permanence and can be manipulated; (3) the paper copy is authentic, unalterable, and carries additional cultural value; (4) there is a real danger of centralized control or the disappearance of digital collections. The project is compared to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and the idea of a protective repository of civilizational knowledge. Tsvetkova emphasizes that paper remains a more reliable medium than digital technologies and that completely abandoning the printed book is a dangerous illusion. In the context of advancing large language models (LLMs) and generative artificial intelligence, the printed book acquires an unexpected, salvific function. Printed books created before the digital era are the only source of authentic human thought, original linguistic style, and genuine creativity. The paper book becomes the Noah’s Ark of human identity. In conclusion, the article defends the physical preservation of books as a necessary cultural and civilizational safeguard for the future.
Publication Date: 2012