Text values for Custom Fields – What are the benefits?

Hi,

I apologize in advance for being such a WordPress newbie, but couldn’t find a satisfactory answer to my question anywhere else. I am currently creating a WordPress site to be used as a database of information. I am not using any particular plugins for this, but am uploading each article as a post, which can then be searched for or browsed by category.

At the start of each article I want basic information, such as dates, names, country – the sort of thing you see on Wikipedia at the top right-hand side of each page. I had been entering these as text, but was wondering what the benefits of creating custom fields for these pieces of information would be? What facilities would such a move allow?

Many thanks to anyone who can help me!