Often, the drawbacks of digitizing a library collection outweigh the benefits. The author discusses overarching issues librarians must consider before devoting considerable resources to digitizing library collections. The case is made that digitization is not synonymous with preservation. Even with digitization, obsolescence remains a key issue. Also, hidden costs associated with starting up a digitization project, the actual digitization process and the maintenance and migration of material must be considered. Guidelines regarding the selection of which materials should be digitized are presented.