<PAGE>
 
      As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 24, 1996

                                                           REGISTRATION NO. 333-
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D. C. 20549



                                    FORM S-8
                          REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933



                          DATAWARE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

         DELAWARE                                              06-1232140
(State or other jurisdiction                               (I.R.S. Employer 
     of incorporation)                                      Identification No.) 

                222 THIRD STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02142
                    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)



                        1993 DIRECTOR STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                                  KURT MUELLER
                            Chief Executive Officer
                          Dataware Technologies, Inc.
                                222 Third Street
                         Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142
                                 (617) 621-0820
           (Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

                                with copies to:

                               MATTHEW C. DALLETT
                               Palmer & Dodge LLP
                               One Beacon Street
                          Boston, Massachusetts 02108
                                 (617) 573-0303



                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
 Title of each class of securities to     Amount to be           Proposed            Proposed maximum        Amount of
           be registered                  registered         maximum offering        aggregate offering   registration fee
                                                            price per share(1)            price(1)
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                       <C>                     <C>                     <C>                 <C>
Common Stock, $0.01 par value             70,000 shares(2)        $6.75                   $472,500            $162.93
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

(1)  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee
     pursuant to Rule 457(h) and based on the average of the high and low prices
     of the Registrant's Common Stock on May 20, 1996 as reported by the Nasdaq
     National Market System.
(2)  This Registration Statement registers an additional 70,000 shares issuable
     under the Registrant's 1993 Director Stock Option Plan (the "Plan").  The
     Registrant has previously registered 60,000 shares under the Plan
     (Registration No. 33-70500).
================================================================================

                        Exhibit Index Appears on Page 6
                         Page 1 of 8 Sequential Pages
<PAGE>
 
   STATEMENT REGARDING INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE FROM EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION
                                   STATEMENT.

     Pursuant to Instruction E to Form S-8, the contents of the Registrant's
Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") on October 19, 1993 (File No. 33-70500) relating
to the registration of 60,000 shares of the Registrant's Common Stock, $0.01 par
value per share (the "Common Stock"), authorized for issuance under the
Registrant's 1993 Director Stock Option Plan (the "Plan"), are incorporated by
reference in their entirety in this Registration Statement, except as to the
items set forth below.  This Registration Statement provides for the
registration of an additional 70,000 shares of the Registrant's Common Stock to
be issued under the Plan.

                                      -2-
<PAGE>
 
                                    PART II
               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT


ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

     The following documents filed with the Commission (File No. 0-21860) are
incorporated herein by reference:

          (a) The Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1995.

          (b) All other reports of the Registrant filed pursuant to Section
13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
Act"), since the end of the fiscal year covered by the annual report referred to
in (a) above.

          (c) The description of the Registrant's Common Stock contained in its
Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 0-21860) filed on May 25, 1993,
including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such
description.

     All documents filed after the date of this Registration Statement by the
Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act
and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all
shares of Common Stock offered hereunder have been sold or which deregisters all
shares of Common Stock remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by
reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of the filing of such
reports and documents.


ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

     The validity of the Common Stock offered hereby will be passed upon for the
Company by Palmer & Dodge LLP, Boston, Massachusetts.  Matthew C. Dallett, the
Assistant Secretary of the Company, is a partner of Palmer & Dodge LLP.


ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS.

     See Exhibit Index on page 6.

                                      -3-
<PAGE>
 
                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Cambridge, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on this
23rd day of May, 1996.


                              DATAWARE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
                              (Registrant)



                              By: /s/ Kurt Mueller
                                 -----------------
                                 Kurt Mueller,
                                 Chief Executive Officer


                               POWER OF ATTORNEY

          We, the undersigned officers and directors of Dataware Technologies,
Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint Kurt Mueller, Jeffrey O. Nyweide
and Matthew C. Dallett, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys-
in-fact, with full power to them in any and all capacities, to sign any
amendments to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (including any post-
effective amendments thereto), and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and
other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-
fact may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
capacities and on this 23rd day of May, 1996:

Signature                           Capacity
- ---------                           --------
                          
                          
                          
 /s/ Kurt Mueller                   Chief Executive Officer and Director
- -----------------                   (Principal Executive Officer)
Kurt Mueller                        
                          
                          
                          
 /s/ Christopher E. Lorch           Controller
- -------------------------           (Principal Financial Officer and Principal
Christopher E. Lorch                Accounting Officer)     
                                    

                                      -4-
<PAGE>
 
 /s/ Stephen H. Beach                   Director
- ---------------------                           
Stephen H. Beach



 /s/ David Dominik                      Director
- ------------------                              
David Dominik



 /s/ Barton L. Faber                    Director
- --------------------                            
Barton L. Faber



 /s/ William R. Lonergan                Director
- ------------------------                        
William R. Lonergan



 /s/ Jeffrey O. Nyweide                 Director and President
- -----------------------                                       
Jeffrey O. Nyweide



                                        Director
- -----------------------
Jochen Tschunke

                                      -5-
<PAGE>
 
 
                                 EXHIBIT INDEX
                                 -------------


EXHIBIT
NUMBER          DESCRIPTION
- ------          -----------

4.1             Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Dataware Technologies,
                Inc., as amended.  Filed as an exhibit to Registration Statement
                No. 33-70498 and incorporated by reference.

4.2             By-Laws of Dataware Technologies, Inc., as amended.  Filed as
                an exhibit to the Company's report on Form 10-Q for the period
                ended March 31, 1995 and incorporated
                by reference.

5               Opinion of Palmer & Dodge LLP as to the legality of
                the securities registered hereunder.

23.1            Consent of Coopers & Lybrand LLP, independent
                certified public accountants.

23.2            Consent of Palmer & Dodge LLP (contained in Opinion
                of Palmer & Dodge LLP filed as Exhibit 5).

24              Power of Attorney (set forth on the Signature Page to
                this Registration Statement)


*Incorporated by reference

                                      -6-
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "REGISTRATION STATEMENT", "secsgml_size_bytes": 10416}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "DATAWARE TECHNOLOGIES INC", "cik": "0000875942", "assigned-sic": "7372", "irs-number": "061232140", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-04487", "film-number": "96572175"}, "business-address": {"street1": "222 THIRD ST", "city": "CAMBRIDGE", "state": "MA", "zip": "02142", "phone": "6176210820"}}
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 24, 1996

                                                           REGISTRATION NO. 333-
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D. C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
                          REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                          DATAWARE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

         DELAWARE                                              06-1232140
(State or other jurisdiction                               (I.R.S. Employer 
     of incorporation)                                      Identification No.) 

                222 THIRD STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02142
                    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)

                        1993 DIRECTOR STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                                  KURT MUELLER
                            Chief Executive Officer
                          Dataware Technologies, Inc.
                                222 Third Street
                         Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142
                                 (617) 621-0820
           (Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

                                with copies to:

                               MATTHEW C. DALLETT
                               Palmer & Dodge LLP
                               One Beacon Street
                          Boston, Massachusetts 02108
                                 (617) 573-0303

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of each class of securities to     Amount to be           Proposed            Proposed maximum        Amount of
           be registered                  registered         maximum offering        aggregate offering   registration fee
                                                            price per share(1)            price(1)
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock, $0.01 par value             70,000 shares(2)        $6.75                   $472,500            $162.93
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1)  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee
     pursuant to Rule 457(h) and based on the average of the high and low prices
     of the Registrant's Common Stock on May 20, 1996 as reported by the Nasdaq
     National Market System.
(2)  This Registration Statement registers an additional 70,000 shares issuable
     under the Registrant's 1993 Director Stock Option Plan (the "Plan").  The
     Registrant has previously registered 60,000 shares under the Plan
     (Registration No. 33-70500).
================================================================================

                        Exhibit Index Appears on Page 6
                         Page 1 of 8 Sequential Pages
STATEMENT REGARDING INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE FROM EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION
                                   STATEMENT.

     Pursuant to Instruction E to Form S-8, the contents of the Registrant's
Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") on October 19, 1993 (File No. 33-70500) relating
to the registration of 60,000 shares of the Registrant's Common Stock, $0.01 par
value per share (the "Common Stock"), authorized for issuance under the
Registrant's 1993 Director Stock Option Plan (the "Plan"), are incorporated by
reference in their entirety in this Registration Statement, except as to the
items set forth below.  This Registration Statement provides for the
registration of an additional 70,000 shares of the Registrant's Common Stock to
be issued under the Plan.

                                      -2-
PART II
               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

     The following documents filed with the Commission (File No. 0-21860) are
incorporated herein by reference:

          (a) The Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1995.

          (b) All other reports of the Registrant filed pursuant to Section
13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
Act"), since the end of the fiscal year covered by the annual report referred to
in (a) above.

          (c) The description of the Registrant's Common Stock contained in its
Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 0-21860) filed on May 25, 1993,
including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such
description.

     All documents filed after the date of this Registration Statement by the
Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act
and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all
shares of Common Stock offered hereunder have been sold or which deregisters all
shares of Common Stock remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by
reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of the filing of such
reports and documents.

ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

     The validity of the Common Stock offered hereby will be passed upon for the
Company by Palmer & Dodge LLP, Boston, Massachusetts.  Matthew C. Dallett, the
Assistant Secretary of the Company, is a partner of Palmer & Dodge LLP.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS.

     See Exhibit Index on page 6.

                                      -3-
SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Cambridge, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on this
23rd day of May, 1996.

                              DATAWARE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
                              (Registrant)

                              By: /s/ Kurt Mueller
                                 -----------------
                                 Kurt Mueller,
                                 Chief Executive Officer

                               POWER OF ATTORNEY

          We, the undersigned officers and directors of Dataware Technologies,
Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint Kurt Mueller, Jeffrey O. Nyweide
and Matthew C. Dallett, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys-
in-fact, with full power to them in any and all capacities, to sign any
amendments to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (including any post-
effective amendments thereto), and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and
other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-
fact may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
capacities and on this 23rd day of May, 1996:

Signature                           Capacity
- ---------                           --------
                          
                          
                          
 /s/ Kurt Mueller                   Chief Executive Officer and Director
- -----------------                   (Principal Executive Officer)
Kurt Mueller                        
                          
                          
                          
 /s/ Christopher E. Lorch           Controller
- -------------------------           (Principal Financial Officer and Principal
Christopher E. Lorch                Accounting Officer)     
                                    

                                      -4-
/s/ Stephen H. Beach                   Director
- ---------------------                           
Stephen H. Beach

 /s/ David Dominik                      Director
- ------------------                              
David Dominik

 /s/ Barton L. Faber                    Director
- --------------------                            
Barton L. Faber

 /s/ William R. Lonergan                Director
- ------------------------                        
William R. Lonergan

 /s/ Jeffrey O. Nyweide                 Director and President
- -----------------------                                       
Jeffrey O. Nyweide

                                        Director
- -----------------------
Jochen Tschunke

                                      -5-
EXHIBIT INDEX
                                 -------------

EXHIBIT
NUMBER          DESCRIPTION
- ------          -----------

4.1             Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Dataware Technologies,
                Inc., as amended.  Filed as an exhibit to Registration Statement
                No. 33-70498 and incorporated by reference.

4.2             By-Laws of Dataware Technologies, Inc., as amended.  Filed as
                an exhibit to the Company's report on Form 10-Q for the period
                ended March 31, 1995 and incorporated
                by reference.

5               Opinion of Palmer & Dodge LLP as to the legality of
                the securities registered hereunder.

23.1            Consent of Coopers & Lybrand LLP, independent
                certified public accountants.

23.2            Consent of Palmer & Dodge LLP (contained in Opinion
                of Palmer & Dodge LLP filed as Exhibit 5).

24              Power of Attorney (set forth on the Signature Page to
                this Registration Statement)

*Incorporated by reference

                                      -6-