VCF suggestions... (film vs digital)

I don;'t think the loss of quality matters in these cases. Most people (I hestitate to say all) don't care if they can't see the exact details of the font used to print a technical manual, they just want to get the information out. You don't care about the thickness of the lines used on a schematic, you just need to know what's connected to what in order to fix the machine. I think the main issue is that microfilm is likely to have a much longer useable life than any digital storage medium (and you won't convince me that putting something on the web will _necessarily_ preserve it, either). Of coruse makine the manuals available is a Good Thing. Nobody is disputing that. I just feel that if you scan microfilm, or paper, or... you should keep the originals, or pass them on to somebody who will preserve them. -tony