Challenge
Around 1,200 daily newspapers are published as e-papers in Germany — and every regional legal deposit library is legally required to collect, provide access to and archive the titles from its region. Previously, publishers had to submit their e-paper editions separately to each regional library — significant logistical overhead for all parties involved.
The German National Library and the Working Group of Regional Libraries (AG RB) sought a better way: a technical infrastructure combining central archiving at the DNB with legally sound, region-specific read access for each library.
Additional requirements: maximum availability (downtime unacceptable), full BITV 90+ accessibility compliance, and granular access management — which title, for which library, in which time period, with how many simultaneous sessions.
Solution
Over 14 months we developed a high-availability Java EE web application meeting all requirements:
- Single submission: Publishers deliver only to the DNB — no separate submissions to individual regional libraries
- Region-specific access: Each library sees and opens only the titles for which it has an agreement with the publisher
- Granular permission management: Title activation, access period and maximum parallel sessions managed centrally
- Redundant server architecture: No single point of failure — uninterrupted continuous operation
- BITV 90+ accessibility: All content and functions fully accessible to users with disabilities
- Responsive design: Usable on all devices in library reading rooms
Result
Since going live in early 2018, the Service Regionale Bereitstellung has run continuously in production. Currently 777 e-paper titles are activated for participating regional libraries. Publishers fulfil their legal deposit obligation through a single submission to the DNB — not separately to every regional library. Libraries meet their statutory collection mandate without needing to operate their own archiving infrastructure.
A nationwide infrastructure for Germany's digital press heritage — built for long-term operation, legal compliance and full accessibility.
