SharePoint 2007: The Definitive Guide

What Is the Significance of Document Libraries?

A document library is a SharePoint repository that can store many different types of files. The document library is available for creation in most, if not all, of the site templates that come out of the box with MOSS 2007. For example, if we were to go and provision a team site, when the site is complete, one of the first Web Parts that you will notice is Shared Documents. This is actually a document library that was provisioned on site creation. So, what is a document library? Document libraries provide a place where users can centrally manage, store, and organize documents across their organization. Document libraries are like any other standard list you will find within MOSS, except they are specifically optimized to hold documents as their items. Any other standard SharePoint list item will consider the document as an attachment to that list item. In other words, a document library lists the documents and other file types, whereas a standard list will store a document as an attachment instead of the list item itself. Document libraries are not limited to documents. As you can see in Figure 9-1, document libraries can manage other file types, such as spreadsheets, presentations, forms, and other common file types.

Once users begin using document libraries on a daily basis, they will quickly realize their benefits. The document library is a user-friendly, intuitive tool that can be easily customized to meet the changing needs of the ...