This paper presents an object oriented hypermedia database framework for de
signing and building digital libraries, which are treated as enhanced hyper
media applications. It is based on combining and extending results from two
domains: the navigation characteristics of hypertext systems, and the view
mechanism and the persistent storage management facility of an object orie
nted database management system. As a result, users can alternate between t
wo integrated types of interaction modes. The hypertext dimension of the fr
amework allows navigation via static and dynamic hyperlinks; the object ori
ented database support enables querying by content and metadata management.
The framework includes still a digital library design methodology that gui
des the implementation of digital libraries over the OODBMS. This proposal
integrates hypermedia and DL concepts to a database environment, being inst
antiated on the realm of geographic data.