Community Archives are archives which are created, described, or preserved by individuals and community groups, sometimes without the traditional intervention of professionals like archivists, historians, and librarians. The shared experience of the members of a community often determine or impact the items included within a community archive. Community archives differ from traditional archives in that the information is created through efforts to respond to community needs as defined by the community in question.
Since the late 1990s, community archives have begun to be created in ever greater numbers. As the term 'community archive' has gained in popularity, it has been applied in a variety of ways, including as a way to denote community participation in knowledge creation and as a moniker that challenges existing historical and political narratives.