Common technologies in academic publishing

• Platform Workflows
• XML-First Production Workflows
• JATS/BITS XML
• XSLT
• DOIs
• LOCKSS/CLOCKSS/Portico

Platform workflows for academic journal publishing

Output Documents, Production, and Standards

• HTML
• PDF

How do we make these and what are they?

HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

• It's what you see "in your browser"
• The "web" version of the article
• Layout dynamically rendered by browsers with CSS
• Semantically-poor format
• Usually derived from semantically-rich XML

PDF (Portable Document Format)

• Transposable between platforms
• Preserves layout
• Semantically-poor format
• Usually produced in an Adobe InDesign workflow

XML-First Production Workflows

Image by Jonathan McGlone

True XML-First Workflows are Really Hard to Develop

What does JATS XML Look Like (and why)?

What Happens to the JATS XML?

• It goes through a process of XML Stylesheet Transformation (XSLT)
• Converts to HTML
• Semantic richness is lost, but display becomes possible
• XML usually not available to readers but hidden behind the scenes...
• ... Useful for digital preservation

Digital Preservation

• Basic principle: Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe
• Same principle as print preservation
• Print doesn't preserve itself; we built libraries for this
• LOCKSS, CLOCKSS and Portico are the main preservation systems in operation today

LOCKSS

• Open-source, library-led digital preservation system
• Libraries run LOCKSS boxes (computers/servers) at their institutions, which keep copies of their local collection.
• Each library checks its own content and compares this to the same content at other libraries.
• If damage is detected, the network will repair the damaged copy.
• Dynamically migrates content to newer formats.
• On a trigger event, the content is released to patrons at the participating library.

CLOCKSS

• Controlled Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe
• A private LOCKSS network that can be joined by publishers.
• Publishers sign up with their titles and pay a membership fee.
• On a trigger event, the content is released to everyone.

Portico

• Participating libraries deposit content
• Third party service
• Independently certified by the Center for Research Libraries

What is the major threat in the digital world?

• People assume that it's the zombie-apocalyse major shutdown of electricity grids
• It isn't
• It's the economic cost of preservation and the inability to preserve everything (i.e. we must preselect)