30,000 books were destroyed and the Duchess Anna Amalia Library was gutted by a fire this Thursday. During the fire library workers risked their lives to save historical texts from damage or destruction.

My question, is this rational in an age of digital media?

I know the old duty of a librarian; to protect orginal written works from destruction, whether that destruction be fire, age, war, mildew, or the slow destruction caused by innacurate copies slowly altering the intent of the author. But in the age where electronic scans can be made, and saved intact in multiple copies, is it truly rational for these people to risk their lives for a bunch of old books?

P.S. I know that the content of the actual text is not the only historical relevant part of the book (just look at the importance of the Gutenberg Bible in the evolution of the printing press), but it is the major part. So should educated, intelligent human beings (who are more likely to take a job protecting antiquated texts) risk death, instead of creating new works of their own?