document archive is sitting behind a paywall-esque system. Is there a good reason for this?
Traditionally the reason is it requires somebody to go find the physical copy, scan it, and send it to you.
I would imagine that they could instead scan and index them, and then put them up online
Physical archival, once archived, is pretty low-maintenance. They could scan and index them, but that costs something. Yes, the information in the documents has already been paid for, but transferring that information has not.
<sarcasm>Yes, what a boon for the public.</sarcasm>
Well, at least you can get access if you need it. Compared to zero access, I'd say that's a boon. Also a good first step.
They should have the policy that once someone requests a document it is made public (just the document, no the request). Bootstrap the digital index with the most interesting documents as suggested by public demand.
Traditionally the reason is it requires somebody to go find the physical copy, scan it, and send it to you.
I would imagine that they could instead scan and index them, and then put them up online
Physical archival, once archived, is pretty low-maintenance. They could scan and index them, but that costs something. Yes, the information in the documents has already been paid for, but transferring that information has not.
<sarcasm>Yes, what a boon for the public.</sarcasm>
Well, at least you can get access if you need it. Compared to zero access, I'd say that's a boon. Also a good first step.