What is the primary purpose of digital archives?

The primary purpose of digital archives is to preserve and provide access to digital information. This involves ensuring that digital assets remain intact, accessible, and usable over time, regardless of changes in technology or potential formats obsolescence. Digital archives are designed to manage, curate, and organize digital records so that they can be reliably retrieved and used in the future by a range of constituents, from researchers to the general public.

While digitizing paper records may be a component of some archival practices, it does not capture the broader purpose of digital archives, which encompasses maintaining born-digital materials as well. Regulatory aspects related to internet usage and the creation of physical copies of digital records fall outside the primary objectives of digital archiving. The focus is on the longevity and accessibility of digital content itself, which can exist in numerous formats and must be preserved in an evolving technological landscape.