The Internet Archive is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, Internet Archive provides free access to researchers, historians, scholars, the print disabled, and the general public. Their mission is to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge.
The Internet Archive has multiple collections including web pages, books, videos, audio recordings, software, and images. A feature of the Internet Archive includes the WayBack Machine, which is an archived collection of snapshots taken of webpages over time.
The WayBack Machine allows users to readily access thousands of captured webpages archived over time. The captures are unique as they preserve webpages as they were over time, regardless if they've been deleted by the original poster or not.
To use the WayBack Machine begin by inputting a web address or keywords into the queue.
When searching using keywords, scroll through the results listed to find the most relevant choice. If you're looking for a specific resource type, select the results next to the icons. Otherwise, select the capture(s) link to view all results.
Results will populate in a calendar format automatically in the current year. Select the preferred year from the top of the page. The green and blue bubbles indicate that captures were taken of that webpage on that specific date.
Once you've located your preferred date, hover over the bubble with your cursor. A screen will populate with the number of captures that was taken on that date with the timestamp(s). To pull up the capture, select a timestamp.
Once a timestamp is selected, allow the page time to populate. Then, you will be able to interact with the capture as it was originally.
These captures are unique because they allow users to view and interact with the webpages as they were originally posted at that time. This includes trending stories, ads, and other contemporary components.