I wish it wasn’t an industry… it should be a fundamental. The Arts in general is in decline in our schools and places of further study. Academic history was perhaps always niche to a degree but, to me, now it really seems there is almost a war on it.
As for the preservation of knowledge, paper will always be best. We need to be like the Victorians that Gladman mentioned. All the work done by people who care, such as here, on the internet can be wiped, pfft, in an instant by a natural occurrence, eg a mega solar storm, or deliberate act. I do hope the likes of TMA are downloaded and securely backed up at least.