DOL: An Interoperable Document Server

We describe the design and experiences gained with the databaseand web-based document server DOL, which we developed at the University of Leipzig (http://dol.uni-leipzig.de). The server provides a central repository for a variety of fulltext documents. In Leipzig, it has been used since 1998 as a university-wide digital library for documents by local authors, in particular Ph.D. theses, master theses, research papers, lecture notes etc., offering a central access point to the university’s research results and educational material. Decentralized administration and different workflows are supported to meet organizational and legal requirements of specific document types (e.g., Ph.D. theses). All documents are converted into several formats, and can be downloaded or viewed online in a pagewise fashion. The documents are searchable in a flexible way using fulltext and bibliographic queries. Moreover, a multi-level navigation interface is provided, supporting browsing along several dimensions. DOL is interoperable with global digital libraries such as NCSTRL and can be ported to the needs of different organizations. It is also in use at Stanford University.