Three of the world's iconic libraries are now home to computer code archives

Strongboxes containing parts of our computer heritage have been entrusted by GitHub to three iconic libraries. — GitHub Archive Program/AFP

Libraries are repositories of ancient and recent knowledge, collected and archived in order to be passed from one generation to another. And that idea of knowledge preservation and transfer is behind American company GitHub's decision to store a collection of computer code repositories in three iconic libraries around the world to safeguard a selection of our digital heritage for future generations.

Last summer, Microsoft subsidiary GitHub launched an ambitious archiving programme so that future historians would have a better grasp of open-source projects designed by current and past developers. Thousands of lines of computer code were printed on piqlFilm reels and stored in 3D printed boxes. PiqlFilm is a 35mm, ultra-high resolution nano-film designed for preservation of digital data.