The advantages of digital libraries as a means of easily and rapidly accessing books,
archives and images of various types are now widely recognized by commercial interests and
public bodies alike.[17]
Traditional libraries are limited by storage space; digital libraries have the potential to store
much more information, simply because digital information requires very little physical space
to contain it.[18] As such, the cost of maintaining a digital library can be much lower than that
of a traditional library. A physical library must spend large sums of money paying for staff,
book maintenance, rent, and additional books. Digital libraries may reduce or, in some
instances, do away with these fees. Both types of library require cataloging input to allow
users to locate and retrieve material. Digital libraries may be more willing to adopt
innovations in technology providing users with improvements in electronic and audio book
technology as well as presenting new forms of communication such as wikis and blogs;
conventional libraries may consider that providing online access to their OP AC catalog is
sufficient. An important advantage to digital conversion is increased accessibility to users.
They also increase availability to individuals who may not be traditional patrons of a library,
due to geographic location or organizational affiliation.