Relating to some research that we're doing surrounding the generation of content, both for our own website and for others, I've been thinking about the question of how to create collaboratively create content in a way that allows both ease of use (for non-technical users), while at the same time allowing for advanced editing functions by more technical users, such as the use of structured markup and authority identifiers.
I stumbled on Connexions, an open-source plone-based system developed by Rice University, and used by them to collaboratively create educational and academic content.
Connexions allows for creation of XML-based content, as well as importing from other formats such as Word, and appears to have a nice collaborative environment.
Where this gets interesting is that Rice University Press have in recent times re-invented themselves as a fully digital publisher, producing print-on-demand books using the Connexions system.
They claim that, using Connexions to create the digital content and then partnering with an on-demand printing service, they can create peer-reviewed academic publications for a tenth the cost using the traditional model of a University Press.
As Connexions is open-source, it is also downloadable for use by others.
The blog of the New Zealand Electronic Text Collection (www.nzetc.victoria.ac.nz).
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
Thursday, 27 September 2007
iPhone for eBooks?
The iPhone and recently-released iTouch are gathering a bit of attention as an eBook platform.
As this article from Tim O'Reilly points out, Apple already has quite an effective distribution platform in the form of iTunes, and there's speculation about Apple extending its reach to encompass eBooks, and publishers HarperCollins have even launched an eBook service tailored for the iPhone.
The iPhone and iTouch have pretty good resolution displays (about 160ppi — twice that of a PC screen), and the actual user interface is getting lots of praise for its ability to deal with presenting web-based content on a small device — have a look at the guided tour video of the iTouch from the Apple site.
There are a number of custom-made solutions out there already including one being developed on the Google code site, though often they're a little bit fiddly to install and use.
Given the iPhone / iTouch's use of a fully-fledged browser (Safari), it may be that the eventual mechanism for reading eBooks on these devices will be browser-based. Although you can use Safari on the iPhone / iTouch to read PDFs and HTML pages, the current obstacle to eBook reading is the fact the the browser only works well when in a place of WiFi reception — there's not a good mechanism of cached or offline browsing (though Apple's in bed with Google, and Google Gears would do the trick). Again, so people have been busy trying to find ways to overcome this hurdle, including the use of the mostly forgotten data URL standard.
At the moment, the iPhone / iTouch is not quite there for eBook reading, largely due to the problem of easily accessing content offline but it wouldn't take too much for Apple (or a capable hacker) to solve this.
As this article from Tim O'Reilly points out, Apple already has quite an effective distribution platform in the form of iTunes, and there's speculation about Apple extending its reach to encompass eBooks, and publishers HarperCollins have even launched an eBook service tailored for the iPhone.
The iPhone and iTouch have pretty good resolution displays (about 160ppi — twice that of a PC screen), and the actual user interface is getting lots of praise for its ability to deal with presenting web-based content on a small device — have a look at the guided tour video of the iTouch from the Apple site.
There are a number of custom-made solutions out there already including one being developed on the Google code site, though often they're a little bit fiddly to install and use.
Given the iPhone / iTouch's use of a fully-fledged browser (Safari), it may be that the eventual mechanism for reading eBooks on these devices will be browser-based. Although you can use Safari on the iPhone / iTouch to read PDFs and HTML pages, the current obstacle to eBook reading is the fact the the browser only works well when in a place of WiFi reception — there's not a good mechanism of cached or offline browsing (though Apple's in bed with Google, and Google Gears would do the trick). Again, so people have been busy trying to find ways to overcome this hurdle, including the use of the mostly forgotten data URL standard.
At the moment, the iPhone / iTouch is not quite there for eBook reading, largely due to the problem of easily accessing content offline but it wouldn't take too much for Apple (or a capable hacker) to solve this.
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
J C Beaglehole: James Cook Essay Collection
The latest addition to the NZETC collection is a series of essays by John Cawte Beaglehole on James Cook. J C Beaglehole was an internationally acknowledged historian and Cook scholar. In preparation for the massive three volumes of "The journals of Captain James Cook on his voyages of discovery" and the acclaimed biography "The life of Captain James Cook" he published a series of papers and lectures, ten of which the NZETC has now gathered together and republished online. The essays, dating from 1956 to 1970, cover both aspects of Cook's character and the process of editing the journals:
"On the Character of Captain Cook"
"Some of the Problems of Editing Cook's Journals"
"The Death of Captain Cook"
"The Wandering Scholars"
"Captain Cook and Captain Bligh"
"Cook the Navigator"
"Some problems of Cook's biographer"
"Eighteenth Century Science and the Voyages of Discovery"
"Cook the Man"
"Cook the Writer"
The NZETC is able to publish these texts online thanks to the kind permission of Professor Tim Beaglehole, Chancellor of Victoria University of Wellington. These essays add to a small collection of letters and academic works by J C Beaglehole already available as part of the NZETC collection
"On the Character of Captain Cook"
"Some of the Problems of Editing Cook's Journals"
"The Death of Captain Cook"
"The Wandering Scholars"
"Captain Cook and Captain Bligh"
"Cook the Navigator"
"Some problems of Cook's biographer"
"Eighteenth Century Science and the Voyages of Discovery"
"Cook the Man"
"Cook the Writer"
The NZETC is able to publish these texts online thanks to the kind permission of Professor Tim Beaglehole, Chancellor of Victoria University of Wellington. These essays add to a small collection of letters and academic works by J C Beaglehole already available as part of the NZETC collection
Monday, 10 September 2007
Pacific Memory of the World
An article on the Pacific Memory of the World Project appeared in the July issues of
Islands Business. The NZETC undertook the research upon which the project is based in 2006. An extract from the article is reprinted below. The full text can be found
here
"There are currently no items from the Pacific and the purpose of the Pacific MOW Register is to build awareness for the global programme and to have up to six Pacific items inscribed on the global list during the next UNESCO medium term (2008 to 2013).
Spearheaded by the Communication and Information sector of UNESCO’s Apia office, the Pacific region will be pitching for inclusion in the global MOW project as a collective body of countries.
The Pacific Register was completed in 2006 and the Apia Office will be working with the Australian MOW committee to build a website, said Caine.
So far, the Pacific MOW register has identified over 300 national documents from 14 Pacific islands countries as having historical significance.
While it may be argued that Pacific islands nations should be the ones to make the decisions on what documents qualify as having historical and national significance, the level of awareness on the need to preserve memory and the UNESCO MOW Programme is very low, according to Caine.
“Ideally, each Pacific islands country should form a national IFAP (Information For All Programme) Committee who would agree on the list and priority ranking, ultimate ownership/custodianship of the item, as well as work to inscribe the item of the global MOW register. The committee should consist of all national stakeholders and infostructures.”
As this was not often the case in the Pacific, the task of locating and digitising documents on the Pacific MOW register as well as the footing of costs involved are left in the hands of UNESCO Apia.
While progress has been achieved with the list of important documents from the region, PICs may as well suffer from historical amnesia as the existence of a number of those documents are not known and therefore, it is not clear whether they can be located for digitisation.
Documents relating to the election of Niue’s King in 1878 for example, or the sale of Micronesia to Germany by Spain in 1885, are among the many others from across the 14 PICs whose whereabouts are not known.
Caine said this formed part of the challenges in getting the Pacific MOW Programme together.
Most of the listed items have disappeared or there is only vague knowledge of the last location.
When there has been contact with the ‘owners’ or holders of the items, negotiation for the return of the items have been hampered by either the purchase or ‘transfer fee’ or the owners’ real concerns of the ability of the country to properly maintain the items, he said.
Caine urged PICs to take ownership of this project and to see it as “a source of collective pride and joy from being able to remember their history and how it formed their identity”.
Islands Business. The NZETC undertook the research upon which the project is based in 2006. An extract from the article is reprinted below. The full text can be found
here
"There are currently no items from the Pacific and the purpose of the Pacific MOW Register is to build awareness for the global programme and to have up to six Pacific items inscribed on the global list during the next UNESCO medium term (2008 to 2013).
Spearheaded by the Communication and Information sector of UNESCO’s Apia office, the Pacific region will be pitching for inclusion in the global MOW project as a collective body of countries.
The Pacific Register was completed in 2006 and the Apia Office will be working with the Australian MOW committee to build a website, said Caine.
So far, the Pacific MOW register has identified over 300 national documents from 14 Pacific islands countries as having historical significance.
While it may be argued that Pacific islands nations should be the ones to make the decisions on what documents qualify as having historical and national significance, the level of awareness on the need to preserve memory and the UNESCO MOW Programme is very low, according to Caine.
“Ideally, each Pacific islands country should form a national IFAP (Information For All Programme) Committee who would agree on the list and priority ranking, ultimate ownership/custodianship of the item, as well as work to inscribe the item of the global MOW register. The committee should consist of all national stakeholders and infostructures.”
As this was not often the case in the Pacific, the task of locating and digitising documents on the Pacific MOW register as well as the footing of costs involved are left in the hands of UNESCO Apia.
While progress has been achieved with the list of important documents from the region, PICs may as well suffer from historical amnesia as the existence of a number of those documents are not known and therefore, it is not clear whether they can be located for digitisation.
Documents relating to the election of Niue’s King in 1878 for example, or the sale of Micronesia to Germany by Spain in 1885, are among the many others from across the 14 PICs whose whereabouts are not known.
Caine said this formed part of the challenges in getting the Pacific MOW Programme together.
Most of the listed items have disappeared or there is only vague knowledge of the last location.
When there has been contact with the ‘owners’ or holders of the items, negotiation for the return of the items have been hampered by either the purchase or ‘transfer fee’ or the owners’ real concerns of the ability of the country to properly maintain the items, he said.
Caine urged PICs to take ownership of this project and to see it as “a source of collective pride and joy from being able to remember their history and how it formed their identity”.
Monday, 20 August 2007
Links to the New Zealand Book Council
The NZETC author topic pages now include links to author profiles on the New Zealand Book Council website for writers such as Maurice Gee,
Hinemoana Baker, and Alistair Te Ariki Campbell.
Hinemoana Baker, and Alistair Te Ariki Campbell.
Friday, 20 July 2007
Whakanuia Te Wiki o te Reo Māori!
Celebrate Māori language week by accessing some of the Māori dictionaries and texts in the NZETC collection
- Ko Nga Moteatea, Me Nga Hakirara O Nga Maori edited by Sir George Gre
- Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary - Edward Robert Tregear, 1891
- Songs and Legends of the Cook Islands in
- First Lessons in Maori - William Leonard Williams, 1930
- Nga kōrero a Reweti Kohere Mā - Reweti Tuhorouta Kohere , 1997 (written in the 1940s)
- A Dictionary of the Maori Language – Herbert William Williams, 6th edition - 1957
We are keen to increase the amount of Māori language material, as well as the number of historical texts written by Māori, whether in Te Reo or in English, in the collection. More texts will be added later this year. If you have suggestions for texts which should be considered for digitisation please email director@nzetc.org.
Sunday, 1 July 2007
La Trobe Journal
NZETC has just completed a project for the State Library of Victoria in Australia to create an online archive for their "La Trobe Journal". This highly regarded journal was founded by the Friends of the State Library of Victoria in 1968 to promote interest in the Library's Australiana collection. It was originally published as the La Trobe Library Journal under the editorship of distinguished historian Dr Geoffrey Serle.
In 1998, the State Library of Victoria Foundation became the sponsor of the journal, enabling the publication to expand considerably. Published twice a year in Autumn and Spring, the journal now includes scholarly articles on many known and unknown aspects of the Library's collection.
The La Trobe Journal online
Launched in July 2007, the full-text online archive of the La Trobe Journal allows researchers to access every article in every edition published since 1968. The La Trobe Journal website features scanned images of actual printed pages, as well as transcriptions of all text. Illustrations in articles can also be viewed and printed independently from the text.
In 1998, the State Library of Victoria Foundation became the sponsor of the journal, enabling the publication to expand considerably. Published twice a year in Autumn and Spring, the journal now includes scholarly articles on many known and unknown aspects of the Library's collection.
The La Trobe Journal online
Launched in July 2007, the full-text online archive of the La Trobe Journal allows researchers to access every article in every edition published since 1968. The La Trobe Journal website features scanned images of actual printed pages, as well as transcriptions of all text. Illustrations in articles can also be viewed and printed independently from the text.
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