The Jedi Archives, alternatively referred to as the Jedi Temple Library, functioned as the knowledge repository for the Jedi Order on Coruscant. It was rumored to contain all knowledge in the galaxy and was under the supervision of the Council of First Knowledge. This Archives held a massive amount of data, stored both electronically and holographically, making it arguably the most comprehensive source of information throughout the galaxy. Jedi of almost all ages would visit this location to gain new knowledge, whether for personal interest, academic preparation, or mission readiness. Furthermore, the Archives facilitated searches for specific members within the Order, maintaining files, or profiles, on each individual, regardless of their status (alive, dead, or former member). These profiles contained information labeled with colons, such as name, age, species, home planet, and clan. Similar profiles were also kept on known criminals, enhancing the informational value for more perilous assignments. Beyond conventional data tapes and holobooks, the Archives also safeguarded holocrons, which are devices shaped like polyhedrons with the capacity to store immense quantities of data. These were secured within a vault accessible only to Jedi.
The Jedi Order established the Jedi Archives within the Jedi Temple on Coruscant relatively early in the Temple's existence. It served as the repository for the few holobooks and artifacts that were evacuated from the Great Jedi Library on Ossus. This Archives, also known as the Jedi Temple Library, preserved historical records spanning thousands of years, maps covering the entire galaxy, scientific, mathematical, and astronomical journals, engineering and technological documents, along with Jedi records pertaining to the Sith. It provided detailed information on the geography, cultures of various planets and species across the galaxy, including their zoology and botany. Furthermore, the Archives contained secrets regarding the Jedi's utilization of the Force, as well as biographies and identification details of numerous Jedi.
The Archives was constructed near the apex of the Temple ziggurat, featuring a two-story, cruciform-shaped chamber centered around a sizable rotunda. Radiating from the rotunda were four wings, housing tens of millions of books. The central reference desk was positioned at the Archives' core.
The Chief Librarian, supported by associate librarians and JN-66 and SP-4 analysis droids, managed the Archives. During the Clone Wars, Jocasta Nu oversaw its operations, aiding Jedi in locating necessary information and controlling access to the restricted Holocron Vault within the library. Prior to the Battle of Geonosis, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi attempted to gather information about the planet Kamino in order to locate the bounty hunter Jango Fett. He and Nu discovered the absence of any information regarding the system. Kenobi and Yoda concluded that a Jedi had intentionally erased the data on Kamino.
During the Great Jedi Purge, Jedi Master Cere Junda witnessed the Jedi Archives being consumed by flames as she fled. Following the rise of the Galactic Empire, Emperor Palpatine granted the Grand Inquisitor permission to study the records concerning the Jedi and their combat techniques. Around this time, Nu, who had survived the fall of the Temple, returned to the location. Unbeknownst to the Grand Inquisitor, Nu entered a hidden vault within the Archives, where she obtained a list containing the names of all known Force-sensitive children just before the purge. Although she intended to leave without confrontation, Nu confronted the Inquisitor upon seeing him again, brandishing her lightsaber, offended that he would dare to read her books only to discard them. After a brief lightsaber duel, Nu was defeated, but as the Inquisitor prepared to deliver the final blow, Darth Vader intervened on orders from Emperor Palpatine, who demanded she be taken alive. In the ensuing confrontation, Nu used a Force push on the two and fled. Retreating to a computer terminal within the library, Nu proceeded to erase all the archive files. As Vader pursued her, Nu retrieved a weapon stored within the archives capable of fighting Vader.
Subsequently, the Emperor transformed the Temple into his Palace. The Imperial Security Bureau assumed control of the remaining secrets within the Archives, removing all Jedi-related materials and destroying much of their history within a year of the library's seizure. The Jedi Archives would later be restored in some capacity, documenting significant individuals in recent galactic history, such as Luke Skywalker, in holocrons, similar to the Sith Information Guide.
The Jedi Archives made its debut in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, which is the second film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The Archives are essentially a near-identical digital recreation of the Long Room located within Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. This imitation extends to the busts of the Lost Twenty, which, in the Trinity Library, are busts of alumni, including the writer Jonathan Swift.
According to Pablo Helman, the scene where Kenobi speaks with Nu contains busts of himself, George Lucas, Rob Coleman, and John Knoll.