CSP, I'm at basically the same point as you. It used to be very common to put albums on tape, you could put two albums on a good reel of tape, or even a C90 cassette. Put the album away and don't worry about it getting scratched/dirty/ruined.
I had about 200 albums that were on the bottom shelf of my basement cabinet when we had a flooding incident (all the way back in 2009). I tossed all the paper sleeves and cardboard jackets and put the records in boxes under the steps. Now that I'm retired, I have started pulling out albums, cleaning with a combination of distilled water/99% isopropanol/a few drops of Photoflo. I have an old Diskwasher 4, a Zerostat, and a carbon fiber brush. I've thought about getting a vacuum cleaner, but haven't pulled the trigger on that. I have 50 new plastic/rice paper sleeves to store them in. If I can find a deal on blank cardboard sleeves, I'll grab a bunch.
I just replaced the 25+ yr old Audio Technica cartridge with a Super 10e. Its one of the few high compliance cartridges that works well with my Grace 707 arm. Everything is going from my Audiosource preamp out to the Tascam 16x08 into Reaper at 88k/24bit.
I've dumped several Nautilus albums (direct to disc pressings) that are out of print and not on CD, plus a record of my sister's high school chorus show that I had recorded on my old Dokorder 8140.
I haven't gone the route of printing labels. I'll transfer them to CD, but keep the raw files on an external hard drive. Some will end up as MP3s on flash drive in the car. I'm just happy to have the music back.
I use Amadeus Pro and a Furutech/ADL GT-40a for digitizing and it works well -- and is capable of 24 bit / 192kHz sampling. When I compare a file done at that sampling and bit rate and compare it with a dub done simultaneously to a type IV metal cassette on a Nakamichi CR-7, I often find I prefer the tape, though I vacillate. They do things differently. I find the bass is tightened up in the digital file, but that voices and acoustic instruments sound far more to my liking on the cassette. Then, if a reel is involved at 7.5 ips, for me it's the reel, hands down. Far fuller, far more satisfying sound -- worthy of dedicated listening and not background. Far closer to the sound of the actual source (to my ears, anyway), which is vinyl LP. I have a Pioneer RT-707 and probably around 75~100 still sealed 7 inch reels, mostly Maxells, that I've had for years and now that I'm old, we're in the midst of this weird Covid crisis, and I have plenty of time on my hands, it's time to play with this.
As for the Tascam, it does 15 ips and I really want to hear what that can do with a good recording on an LP. I have some high end MC carts and like to go light on them, so dubbing to tape makes sense from that end as well. Sadly, when you wear out a MC, you have to go for rebuild and that can be very spendy.
As for my curiosity, I was more interested in why the goal was to go to audio tape. Back when you could buy a case of 12 reels of 1800ft Maxell or TDK tape for $35, it wasn't a big deal. Now a single 7" reel of 1800ft ATR costs about $40. Of course, if you already have a case of tape, that's not an issue (as SS has).
Yes, I bought my tape long, long before it became the 'thing' it is now with crazy pricing for NOS, like what I just saw here:
ヤフオク! - 未開封 Maxell マクセル 35-180(N) 5本 + 35-18...
Translation -- those 10 ten-inch NOS Maxell's just sold for US$1,330.52 with sales tax. $130 a reel.
And new tape? Almost as expensive. Even crazier -- NOS type IV cassettes. Just insane.
Needless to say if I didn't already have a bunch of tape and at least one working deck (only does 7-inch and 7.5 ips though), I would not be getting into this, unless that lucky lottery ticket I've been planning on getting finally came my way.