Abstract: An information retrieval application is disclosed which supports digital library functionality, including information retrieval, information manipulation and processing, in distributed data environments (e.g. Grid computing). The application is based on an object model in which data objects (for example, PDF documents) are represented as records in canonical XML form using a schema. These records are stored, distributed around a network, and may be queried using the Common Query Language. Processing objects (for example, preparsers and parsers) may be used to transform data objects into XML records or other data objects, or XML records into one or more data objects. This application defines workflows as objects which can call other workflow objects, allowing for the creation of powerful and flexible parallel configurations.