Deteriorating recent local history

Looking through the 10 or 12 books in the Killeen public library that address the history of the city, county and region, I was struck with the poor condition of some of the volumes.  There are no replacements for these: the original production runs were small, and there have been no subsequent editions.

I also spent time with the microfilm archives of the Killeen Daily Herald, which go back to 1953.  The microfilm is in good shape, but the readers are decrepit, and I doubt there are many who can maintain them.

Local politics depend on understanding local history.  What's needed is a program to convert the text preserved on paper and microfilm to digital media, which deteriorate at much, much slower rates. The cost of this is not insignificant, but not crazy expensive, either.  When I go back to work, I could probably finance it easily.

I wonder if the Killeen Daily Herald might take the lead on this?  In the long run, they need searchable, digital archives.  Their continued relevance depends on it.  The cost of scanning a dozen library books would be a minor addition.