Wait! Don’t Digitize and Discard!  A White Paper on ALA COL Discussion Issue #1a, By James A. Jacobs and James R. Jacobs, June 2013

“The ALA Committee on Legislation (COL) “Discussion Document” (Draft 6-17-13) asks as part of Issue #1″ concerning the digitization of FDLP collections if libraries should be allowed to “deaccession and destroy” collections for the “greater good of broader on-line access.” While there is much in the Discussion Document that is generally agreed upon in the FDLP community, Issue #1 is extremely problematic as it poses a false choice that unjustifiably equates discarding paper with digitization and better access. The following provides background details and context that the COL Discussion Document lacks. We as a community need to have all the facts in order to discuss and decide on the fate and future of FDLP collections.”