Editing Internet Archive (section)

== Items and collections ==
The Archive stores [[computer file|files]] inside so-called items, which are similar to [[Directory (computing)|directories]] in that they can contain multiple files, but can have additional [[metadata]] such as a description and tags which make them more searchable.

Some file types can be previewed directly on the site, where as others have to be downloaded in order to be opened. If multiple multimedia files exist in an item, the website generates a playlist for video or audio files, or a slide show for pictures. If an item contains at least one video or picture, the Archive generates a preview [[thumbnail]] that can be seen on collection pages and in searches. Items can contain mixed data such as music files with an album cover picture, in which case the picture is used as thumbnail.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://help.archive.org/help/how-to-upload-files-to-create-a-new-item-page/ |access-date=2024-10-22 |title=How to upload files to create a new item page – Internet Archive Help Center }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://help.archive.org/help/movies-and-videos-tips-troubleshooting/ |access-date=2024-10-22 |title=Movies and Videos – Tips & Troubleshooting – Internet Archive Help Center }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://help.archive.org/help/media-players-a-basic-guide/ |title=Media Players – A Basic Guide – Internet Archive Help Center |access-date=2024-10-22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://help.archive.org/help/archive-org-page-overview/ |title=Archive.org page overview – Internet Archive Help Center |access-date=2024-10-22 }}</ref>

Staff members of the Internet Archive organize items by placing them into so-called collections, which are pages listing multiple items.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://help.archive.org/help/collections-a-basic-guide/ |title=Collections – A Basic Guide – Internet Archive Help Center |access-date=2024-10-22 }}</ref>