Tools, Techniques and Toys
First, some useful papers on the preparation and production of e-texts:
- OTA Guide to Good Practice
- The aim of this Guide is to take users through the basic steps
involved in creating and documenting an electronic text or similar
digital resource.
http://ota.ahds.ac.uk/documents/creating/
- Making etexts from paper originals
- A paper written for Project Gutenberg volunteers, contains much
useful information.
http://promo.net/pg/vol/a_v_anders.html
- Proofing
- Describes the techniques required for proof-reading of
e-texts.
http://promo.net/pg/vol/proof.html
- Formats for Electronic Texts
- An overview of formats and their suitability for e-texts.
http://www.library.adelaide.edu.au/~sthomas/papers/etext-formats.html
Triconference
2000: Can e-books improve libraries?- a conference paper with focus on libraries
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/central/ebooks/
There are a number of sites devoted to ebooks.
- KnowBetter.com
- "for anyone interested in electronic books, electronic
publishing, or anything else in the fast-growing world of ebooks.
KnowBetter.com serves as a repository of information relating to
NuvoMedia's Rocket eBook and other electronic media"
http://knowbetter.com/
- Open eBook
- The purpose of the Open eBook Forum (OEBF) is to create and
maintain standards and promote the successful adoption of
electronic books. The Open eBook Forum is an association of
hardware and software companies, publishers and users of electronic
books and related organizations whose goals are to establish common
specifications for electronic book systems, applications and
products that will benefit creators of content, makers of reading
systems and, most importantly, consumers, helping to catalyze the
adoption of electronic books; to encourage the broad acceptance of
these specifications on a worldwide basis among members of the
Forum, related industries and the public; and to increase awareness
and acceptance of the emerging electronic publishing industry.
http://www.openebook.org/
People have been working for years to produce suitable devices and/or formats for eTexts. This is an industry which is just now reaching maturity, with several workable devices available (at least in the US).
- Palm, Inc.
- Not specifically an ebook devices, the Palm is nonetheless an
attractive option for ebook reading. (Especially if you already
have one!)
http://www.palmOne.com/
- Rocket eBook
- One of the leaders makers of devices specifically for
ebooks.
http://www.rocket-ebook.com/enter.html
Finally, some links to more complex tools and discussions:
- Text Analysis Software
- Describes some (fairly complex) tools available for (fairly
complex) analysis of texts.
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/textual.html
- Text Encoding Initiative Home Page
- The TEI provides a specification for ebooks, based on a subset
of SGML. Not for the faint-hearted.
http://www.uic.edu/orgs/tei/
