Considerable study of what users need, how they use information, and whether digital formats serve their needs effectively is still required. Undertaking large digitization initiatives without a fundamental understanding of user needs is putting the cart before the donkey. Being digital is not necessarily commensurate with being useable. In an era of difficulty to obtain resources, questioning the efficacy of undertaking the expensive process of digitizing specialized collections of materials that may support a handful of scholars is not only legitimate but essential. It may be that most of the important information that the poor in any country need may not be in databases.
Libraries provide a range of materials in many different formats to serve a particular clientele.
As the information explosion continues its expansion, digital materials will be added to the collections of books, journals, and audiovisual materials that libraries currently provide access to. But it is also increasingly apparent to many librarians that libraries will not replace older media such as books with new digital media. Rather, digital collections and services, when established, will exist as complements to existing collections and services.