I think at this time we should worry more about the preservation and cataloguing of these documents rather than our own convenience. Because they are elected officials, the county clerks may retain documents for the convenience of the locals. However, that doesn't mean it is a wise solution. I don't really see any great advantage to having the originals in the counties, although deed and will books would probably stay there. Copies of some sort should suffice for the most used items. If documents can be preserved there better, that is a different story. However, I would rather see the inaccessible documents under the control of the state archives. At least there is a chance that they will be catalogued and copies will be made available.