Mechanisms and techniques for judging quality of digital reproductions are different and more sophisticated than those for assessing microfilm or photocopy reproductions. The primary goal of preservation quality is to capture as much intellectual and visual or aural content as is technically possible and then display that content to users in ways most appropriate to their needs. In the digital world, a commitment to the integrity of a digital file begins with limiting the loss of information that occurs when a file is created originally and then compressed mathematically for storage or transmission across a network. The perservation of intellectual integrity also involves authentication procedures, like audit trails, to make sure files are not altered intentionally or accidentally. Access In the digital world access is the central distinguishing quality of preservation.
Digital technology is more than another way to copy a deteriorating document.
Imaging involves transforming the very concept of format, not simply creating an accurate picture of a document, photograph, or map on a different medium. Responsibility for long-term access to digital archives rests initially with the creator or owner of the materials. The resource and administrative implications of this fact cannot be minimized and must play a role in the decision to digitize archival and manuscript materials. We know that the impulse to record and keep is part of our human nature. Like the clerks and scribes who went before them, archivists increase the chances that evidence about how we live, how we think, and what we have done will be preserved.