@minzastro
Well, #Fediverse systems like #BookWyrm and #NeoDB already allow for global search of media metadata.
I realize that storing actual PDFs and the like on such servers will require a lot more server capacity, but is the principle really all that different?
And there are plenty of independent digital libraries hosted by universities and research institutes, such as the MDZ (which I use a lot). But they use different software and generally only allow local search.
I feel that if there was a Fediverse approach to hosting and searching for such documents - one which private users could also host - then it would be a huge step forward for preserving our cultural heritage.
https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/