Yeah, the knowledge is the most important part. But there's still the issue of public ownership of valuable items. Let's assume the entire contents of a rare b

Yeah, the knowledge is the most important part. But there's still the issue of public ownership of valuable items. Let's assume the entire contents of a rare book—or let's say a famous renaissance painting—is digitized at high quality. Is it a moral failing for a public library or museum to hold on to the work instead of converting it to cash and spending that cash on life-saving initiatives? Is valuing these original works an irrational thing that we humans do? I can't logically argue for keeping the works, yet I think something would be lost if all art was sold to the highest bidder and the proceeds used for charity.