The purpose of the article is to determine the role of digitization within the system for ensuring the preservation of archival collections. The conceptual framework of archival digitization is analyzed, including the characterization of the terms «digitization», «master copy», «working copy», «digital access collection of National Archival Fund documents», «metadata of a digital copy», «security copy», and «security fund». The legislative regulation of the digitization of archival collections is examined. It is demonstrated that the core archival legislation concerning the National Archival Fund establishes the general obligation to preserve documents, while legislation on trust services defines the mechanisms for granting legal validity to digital copies, and legislation in the fields of information security and copyright regulates the conditions for their storage and publication. However, it is noted that Ukrainian legislation creates a fragmented system for the preservation of digital archives. The basic law does not define the status of a digital security fund; therefore, digitization is effectively governed by electronic records management standards and technical information protection requirements. At the same time, access to the created copies is restricted by the lack of regulation concerning the legal status of «orphan works» and by personal data protection requirements. Archives bear legal responsibility for publishing sensitive information but lack mechanisms for the large-scale legalization of access to historical collections. The critical nature of this regulatory fragmentation has been officially recognized by the state in the Strategy for the Protection of Documentary Heritage until 2027.

The evolution of the state digitization strategy is traced – from the first attempts to automate records management in the early 1990s to the introduction in 2021 of a targeted digitization program, the systematic implementation of which, by the end of 2025, secured leading global positions for the state archives of Ukraine in the digitization of archival heritage according to international monitoring results. A Digitization Program for 2026-2030 has now been adopted. The strategic focus has shifted toward building a unified digital space: standard policies for digital data preservation, the Unified State Electronic Register of National Archival Information Resources, modernization of the Repository of Archival Electronic Documents, and a centralized data center. This marks a transition from the mere accumulation of digital copies to the development of infrastructure capable of ensuring their long-term accessibility.

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