Access to a unique paper document generally means that only one person at a time can use it. Imaging holds great promise to move the Agency beyond the majority of these access problems. An imaged document may be viewed by many parties without conflict or delay. Copies may be downloaded to diskette without threat to the official copy. Users' access levels can be appropriately set to protect confidential information from improper disclosure.
Electronic redaction can serve the same purpose.
Another alternative is to simply not image confidential material unless it is declassified at some point. Once imaged, problems with damaged or missing pages disappear. By the same token, documents imprinted on optical platters should never disappear, depending on the lifetime of the medium. So long as standard backup and security procedures are followed, and one or more duplicate optical platters are stored offsite, preservation issues are addressed and more attention can be given to access. In 1991-1992 the Environmental Protection Agency awarded a series of contracts to develop a digital imaging system for the Superfund records program.