WASHINGTON, DC.- The nation’s oldest federal cultural institution is using some of the newest technology to preserve digital copies of historical collection items for the next 250 years. As part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, the Library of Congress will make a trailblazing contribution to the America250 Time Capsule in Philadelphia in July: a tiny metal vial holding synthetic DNA encoded with digital copies from the Library’s collections.

The Library initiated a molecular data storage feasibility study in response to a request from Congress in 2024. As a result, the Library has been examining the storage capabilities of a new medium, synthetic DNA. An entirely manufactured molecule, synthetic DNA is designed to replicate the exceptional information density of nature’s best storage medium: DNA itself.

Working with the University of Washington’s Molecular Information Systems Lab, the Library has converted selected digital data into synthesized DNA strands encased in a metal vial about the length of a pencil eraser.

The synthetic DNA includes, among other Library collection items, digital copies of:

• Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence.

• An 1898 audio recording of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by John Philip Sousa’s band.

• “The Star-Spangled Banner” lyrics written in Francis Scott Key’s hand.

• A 3D rendering of President Abraham Lincoln’s hand.

• The 1791 L’Enfant Plan for Washington, D.C.

• The Codex Quetzalecatzin, an extremely rare pre-1600 Mesoamerican manuscript.

• Handwritten cataloged items of Thomas Jefferson’s library.

• Digitized 1890 Native American audio recordings of numbers, a counting-out rhyme, days of the week, and a funeral song in Passamaquoddy.

• The canvas drawing of the Blackwell’s Kinfolk family tree, depicting more than 1,500 names.

• The “Annals of the Congress of the United States,” covering congressional proceedings, including the making of the Constitution, from 1789 to 1824.

“We are thrilled to contribute a top treasure of the Library of Congress’ collections, Thomas Jefferson’s draft and handwritten edits to the Declaration of Independence, along with compelling documents, music and sounds of history to America’s Time Capsule for the next 250 years,” said Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen. “This broad range of collection items represents the Library’s significant holdings today for future generations of Americans.”

The encasement includes a small chip containing decoding instructions, ensuring the synthetic DNA sequence can be reassembled into its original digital data when America’s Time Capsule is opened in 2276.

“This initiative is another significant step forward in decades of technological innovation at the Library of Congress,” Chief Information Officer Judith Conklin said. “As the largest library in the world and a leader in the field of archival data storage, we hope the Library can serve as a model for heritage and memory organizations seeking innovative approaches to effectively preserve their collections for future generations.”

Unlike biological DNA, synthetic DNA is manufactured from chemicals and cannot be used to create or modify living cells or organisms. It does, however, leverage the unique storage and data recovery properties of DNA, offering a promising option for long-term preservation of massive amounts of digital data.

Synthetic DNA can store about nine terabytes of digital data in one cubic millimeter, approximately 1,000 to 100,000 times greater than the capacity of conventional digital storage methods like hard drives, tape drives and cloud storage. It is also highly durable, lasting for thousands of years with little to no maintenance or power consumption.

“Understanding the feasibility of this technology and partnering with industry experts to develop our pilot makes the Library more effective in our mission to Congress and supports the sustainability of our vast cultural heritage,” Library of Congress Digital Strategy Director Natalie Buda Smith said. “The ceremonial time capsule for America’s 250th anniversary is the perfect home for our groundbreaking foray into molecular data storage.”

The synthetic DNA data storage initiative is limited in scope but offers the Library a unique opportunity to learn about and share its experiences using this technology. As the Library’s collections continue to grow, synthetic DNA presents one of the possible cutting-edge solutions to supplement the methods used in the preservation and recovery of Library collections data at scale. The Library continues to preserve its digital collections and organizational data across a robust, multifaceted data storage environment.