Whilst a growing number of archives are digitalising their manuscript collections enabling easier access for researchers, is it still imperative that they also continue to keep and preserve all the original items Or just a selection?
I wonder if this question is rhetorical. Obviously digital recording is not a substitute for the preservation of an original. Even if part of the purpose of recording is to act as insurance against loss it is almost inevitable that the recording will subsequently prove inadequate and deliberately disposing of the item would be wildly irresponsible.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/easier-access-to-historic-wills-under-new-government-plans
So what should be done with the originals? Destroy them? aside from the fact that no digitization is perfect, and so it may be useful to verify some details on the original, the main argument against destroying, or abandoning, the original is that a file is not eternal. A file can be lost or damaged even more easily than an original. Much easier than a paper book or a parchment. To reduce the risk of loss, both media must be preserved: the original, and the digital copy.
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