The Five Types
While traditional institutions have distinct lanes (libraries lend, archives restrict, museums display), digital memory institutions often blend these roles. However, five distinct archetypes remain:
1. The Library (Access)
Mission: Universal access and circulation.
Example: The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.
Goal: "The Library of Alexandria version 2.0"—store everything, let anyone browse.
2. The Archive (Preservation)
Mission: High-fidelity preservation and restriction.
Example: Library of Congress Twitter Archive.
Goal: Protect the record for future generations, even if it means restricting access
today (for privacy or copyright).
3. The Museum (Interpretation)
Mission: Curation, display, and narrative.
Example: Cameron's World (GeoCities art), The Strong Museum of Play.
Goal: Select a few significant artifacts and explain why they matter. Quality
over quantity.
4. The Memorial (Mourning)
Mission: Commemoration of loss.
Example: The 9/11 Digital Archive.
Goal: Create a space for grief and community memory after a tragedy (or a Platform Murder).
5. The Research Collection (Data)
Mission: Computational analysis.
Example: Pushshift (Reddit archive).
Goal: Provide raw data for scholars to study shifts in language, culture, or extremism.
Field Notes
The Convergence: In the digital world, the lines blur. The Internet Archive is a library that acts like a museum (with curated collections) and an archive (with restricted items). Successful digital stewards must wear multiple hats.