In the past, slow network speeds discouraged collaborative research because the more complex files were not easily shared. Digital libraries are similar to bulletin boards, in that they allow for collection of information, but go a step further by allowing information to be archived, organized and accessed by a wide community. Specialists can search, filter and retrieve relevant information from large databases. Files can also be transferred to a digital library to allow researchers to immediately publish their works and make them available to the community. Journals, company technical reports and other works can be stored in the library and transferred by researchers as they need them, thus cutting much of the unproductive time spent in information gathering.
File transfers allow researchers to access and manage information to increase productivity.
A similar effect can be achieved, on regional and backbone networks, for devices such as radio telescopes, tele-robots and satellite transmissions. The key to the access and operation of remote equipment lies in real-time systems. Response in real time allows remote users to interact with the equipment as if they were using local terminals. This could be very useful in, for example, the case of remote sensing equipment in the Arctic, which could potentially be accessed and operated from the comfort of a southern Canadian university or laboratory through a satellite link on the network. With high bandwidth on a network, devices and their costs can be shared by a broader base of users.