The Archive of the Great Library of Alderaan functioned as a repository, housing a comprehensive duplicate of all data contained within the Royal Library located on Alderaan.
Following its creation, librarians, anticipating a takeover of the planet by the Galactic Empire, smuggled the archive offworld. Although Alderaan was never conquered by the Empire, the library was destroyed along with the planet by the Death Star during its destruction.
During the Cold War era, which occurred between the Resistance and the First Order, the Kudon trader Mek Nu'Tiv came into possession of the archive. This acquisition drew the attention of both General Leia Organa of the Resistance and the smuggler Han Solo. Solo, impersonating a First Order officer, made arrangements to purchase the archive. Simultaneously, Organa tasked Poe Dameron with a mission to infiltrate Nu'Tiv's cruiser and retrieve the archive. While aboard Nu'Tiv's cruiser, Solo located the data archive. However, upon discovering its true nature, he permitted the Resistance to depart with it. After Black Squadron successfully returned to D'Qar with the archive, Organa devised a plan to create copies of its contents and subsequently sell the original physical archive to collectors at premium prices.