A method for creating archives on removable mass storage media, comprising steps of: digitizing data to be archived into digitized archives; extracting record information representing details about the archives; storing the record information in archive directory files; and storing the digitized archives and archive directory files onto the removable mass storage media. Also described is a digital archive server for loading archives created by the method of the invention. The server reads the archive directory files and loads them into the database of the digital library.