The transferred file can then be examined, edited, added to or deleted by the user, without affecting the original file. High bandwidth networks have allowed large and complex multi-media files to be transferred quickly. File transfers encourage the development of collaborative research by allowing researchers to work on the same file by transferring the files to each other through the network. 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.