Abstract: The subject of this research is the socio-ontological foundation of the archive as a social institution in modern society. The purpose of the article is to study the challenges of modern society that affect the activities of the archive in connection with the interformational transition to a post–industrial society. The methodology used was a concrete universal theory of the development of the historical process, based on the modern scientific form of dialectics. The archive acquires the relevance of preserving mnemic images of society in connection with radical transformations in society. The information society, opening up new perspectives, does not always facilitate the process of preserving information, but on the contrary introduces new threats. In this regard, the role of the archive as a guarantor of objective truth is greatly increasing. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the objective laws of the functioning of historical memory and the role of the archive in this regard are shown. The significance of the archive as a social institution lies in the fact that it is able to manifest the objective basis of history in the collective consciousness. The less the mnemic images differ from the social being, the more effectively society as a whole will function. Also, the archive should become one of the links in carrying out a "historical policy" aimed at preserving the mnemic images of society, capable of fighting back in a consentient war that destabilizes the population by distorting the historical memory of the people.