Ted, you are indeed raising a valid point and I personally agree with you 100 % there. I have also discussed this with one of the webmaster, and of course the ones who run this site, decide which way it will go.
I personally say, this site is called "shipspotting" and that has not much to do with reposting and also not with scanning photos from libraries.
I once said, that many of these photos are also very important documents of shipping, but their place is more a site like
www.shipnostalgia.com or a similar one, of relevant topic, but not on a site that is dedicated to shipspotting.
That is one side.
On the other side, I am also happy to see old photos of a ship I am looking up, and at that moment I do not care, whether it is scanned or reposted, but of course I prefer the ones, that are taken by someone "just so" at sea.
I find it very difficult, with photos for example - someone knows a few seamen who take photo, and is asked to post them here, so that person is posting photos of other people there, but very often interesting photos, which otherwise could not be seen ?
It is a difficult question, I know !
Of course it is interesting, what people here think, because we all are making this forum, what it is