Jedi Archives
The repository of knowledge for the Jedi Order, situated on Coruscant, was the Jedi Archives, alternatively referred to as the Jedi Temple Library. Rumors suggested it contained all of the galaxy's knowledge. The Council of First Knowledge was in charge of its operations. The Archives held a vast quantity of information, electronically and holographically stored, potentially making it the most comprehensive informational resource in the entire galaxy. Jedi of practically all ages visited this location to gain new insights, whether for personal interest, academic pursuits, or mission preparation. The Archives also facilitated the search for specific Order members. Each member, whether alive, dead, or having departed, had a file or profile maintained. These files contained information such as name, age, species, home planet, and clan, identified by labels. Similar profiles were maintained for known criminals, enhancing the value of studies for more hazardous missions. Beyond typical data tapes and holobooks, the Archives also possessed holocrons, which are devices with a polyhedral form that could store immense volumes of data. These were kept within a vault that was off-limits to non-Jedi.
History
The Jedi Order established the Jedi Archives within the Jedi Temple on Coruscant relatively early in the Temple's existence. It housed some of the holobooks and artifacts that were evacuated from the Great Jedi Library on Ossus. The Archives, which was also known as the Jedi Temple Library, contained historical documents going back thousands of years, maps of the entire galaxy, scientific, mathematical, and astronomical journals, engineering and technological documents, and Jedi records concerning the Sith. It provided thorough information on the geography, cultures of various planets and species throughout the galaxy, as well as their zoology and botany. The Archives also held secrets regarding the Jedi's use of the Force and biographies, complete with identifying information, of numerous Jedi.
The Archives, situated near the Temple ziggurat's summit, was a cruciform chamber with two stories centered around a sizable rotunda. Radiating from the rotunda were four wings that contained tens of millions of books. The central reference desk was positioned at the Archives' core.
The Archives were managed by the Chief Librarian, with support from associate librarians and JN-66 and SP-4 analysis droids. Jocasta Nu oversaw the Archives during the Clone Wars, helping Jedi locate the information they needed and regulating access to the restricted Holocron Vault inside the library. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Knight, attempted to find information on the planet Kamino in order to locate the bounty hunter Jango Fett before the Battle of Geonosis. He and Nu found that there was no data on the system. Kenobi and Yoda came to the conclusion that a Jedi had taken out the information about Kamino.
During the Great Jedi Purge, Jedi Master Cere Junda witnessed the Jedi Archives being destroyed by fire while she was evading capture. Following the rise of the Galactic Empire, Emperor Palpatine permitted the Grand Inquisitor to examine the records pertaining to the Jedi and their combat techniques. It was at this time that Nu, who had survived the Temple's fall, returned to the Temple. Nu entered a hidden vault inside the Archives without being seen by the Grand Inquisitor, where she found a list of every Force-sensitive child known to exist just before the purge. Nu confronted the Inquisitor with her lightsaber after spotting him again, offended that he would dare to read her books only to disregard them, even though she had intended to leave without incident. Nu was defeated in a brief lightsaber duel, but Darth Vader stopped the Inquisitor from delivering the killing blow. Vader, acting on Emperor Palpatine's orders, demanded that she be brought in alive. Nu Force pushed the two and ran away during the ensuing confrontation. Nu then deleted all of the archive files after retreating to a computer in the library. Nu retrieved a weapon from the archives that was capable of fighting Vader as Vader continued to pursue her.
Later, the Emperor changed the Temple into his Palace. The Imperial Security Bureau assumed control of the Archives' remaining secrets, getting rid of anything Jedi-related and destroying a large portion of their history in the process, all within a year of the library's seizure. The Jedi Archives would later be restored in some capacity, documenting notable individuals from recent galactic history, such as Luke Skywalker, in holocrons, much like the Sith Information Guide.
Behind the scenes
The 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the second entry in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, was the first time the Jedi Archives appeared. The Long Room of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland is almost exactly digitally recreated as the Archives. The imitation also includes the Lost Twenty's busts, which, in Trinity Library, are busts of alumni, including the author Jonathan Swift.
Pablo Helman claims that the scene where Kenobi speaks with Nu features busts of himself, George Lucas, Rob Coleman, and John Knoll.