Our goal is to create a frequently used, content-rich directory for document suppliers and users. Another objective is to provide a trusted "virtual place" where relationships between document suppliers, and end-users, can develop.

DocDel.net attempts to organize the valuable tools available via the Internet. However, it is not an archive for all document delivery related sites.

Who sponsors DocDel.net?

Instant Information Systems maintains DocDel.net and the DocDel Listserv.

Why are some full-service providers also listed as specialists?

Document suppliers are listed in the category (or categories) that are most useful to users of DocDel.net. CISTI (Canadian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information) for example, is listed as an institution specializing in science and technology, and as a supplier of Canadian documents.

DocDel is a contraction for the term document delivery. Document delivery services are used to retrieve the full-text of any publicly available document. Patents, military specifications, government reports, journal articles, and dissertations are all examples of what a document delivery service might supply to a client.

Document delivery services are often needed by those using commercial databases, many of which only provide abstracts and not full-text.

There is a wide variety of document suppliers. Most document delivery services have an area of focus or a subject specialty. For example, a patent provider might not be able to provide dissertations. Full-Service providers deliver any publicly available document - even if it is outside of their collection.. Database providers, publishers and information brokers can also provide full-text documents.

How are the DocDel.net links compiled?