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Electronic Publishing

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Robin P. Peek 0 Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts 02 115

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Introduction and Overview

The next chapter in the history of publishing is being written and published electronically. Recent events have made electronic publishing (e-publishing) the subject of much higher focus in all areas of media. However, the linkage of the discussions of e-publishing with the “in- formation superhighway,” now overused by the zealous media, erroneously suggests that the transformation of publishing is being conducted like an organized and co- ordinated road construction project. In fact, the reality is that e-publishing has all the organizational structure and planning logic of the Internet.

Publishing has been so deeply embedded in our cul- ture that now that the potential exists to seriously change it, we realize how fundamental and how universal pub- lishing is to everything we understand about our culture. The implications of the journey being embarked on are perhaps more profound than we even yet comprehend.

Until recently, discussions about e-publishing were focused primarily on the underpinnings of technologies. On a practical level, e-publishing remained more in the realm of a good science fiction novel than something that was really in the mainstream of life. Even the early efforts of e-publishing were still contained in the “Camelot pe- riod” of the then noncommercialized Internet when it was a cozy academic enclave.

Four recent events occurred that greatly increased the attention on e-publishing. First, of course, the Internet went “commercial” and that changed it forever. The landmark publishing of The Whole Internet by a small publishing company, O’Reilly & Associates, brought a whole new generation of users to the Internet. There was the election of Albert Gore to the vice presidency which rapidly elevated the National Information Infrastructure on the national agenda. Finally, multimedia computers became affordable enough to make multimedia a real publishing possibility. All of these events, occurring so close to each other, moved discussions of e-publishing out of a few small circles and on to the headlines of the national media. We will never know how this rapid as- cent transformed the ultimate direction of e-publishing.

Technology is ethically neutral and only does what we as individuals, organizations, and society bid it to do. This issue of Perspectives examines a few of the issues on the “people side” of the electronic publishing equation.

0 1994 John Wiley &Sons, Inc.

Changing the face of publishing means examining a complex web of issues.

The implications of e-publishing are central to the professional lives of the ASIS community. As a profes- sional organization, we are in an almost unique position in that we incorporate under one organization a mem- bership of individuals all deeply affected by the direc- tions that publishing will take. This creates both excite- ment and discomfort because it challenges our roots. Just as an ivy plant begins with one rooting system and then sprawls itself over a building, our direction is no less clear. Technology has created the animal, we need to figure out if it is a tiger, a Siamese, or an alley cat, in the end. Because the computers don’t care what we do with them, we must live with what we ask them to do. This issue of JASIS Perspectives explores some of the many decisions we must make.

Robin Peek explores the social relationship of pub- lishing and culture, emphasizing the behavioral issues of transforming the traditional publisher relationship. Pub- lishing has established a hierarchy of perceived value and quality of the information. As e-publishing seeks to craft its identity it must compete with the traditional publish- ers who are transplanting themselves from print to the electronic medium.

Clifford Lynch considers the issues regarding the in- tegrity of individual digital objects. Integrity implies a degree of openness and auditability as well as accessibil- ity of information and records for public inspection. A key factor for the success of e-publishing will be that we must have mechanisms to insure that we can trust it.

Thomas Jacobson examines the global distribution of electronic publishing products and details many of the promising projects underway, arguing, however, that the electronic publishing revolution is not “global” because of the infrastructure, cost, and available human re- sources in developing countries.

Jane Berliss argues that modern technology is possibly the best, and the worst, thing that has ever happened to people with disabilities. Efforts in electronic publishing must address four key computer access issues: difficulties with (1) input; (2) output; (3) the computing environ- ment; and (4) documentation.

Jon Gold describes an electronic publishing model for academic publishers using Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). The article describes how

an electronic book can be produced and delivered as well as the impact on the publishing business.

Next are three articles that outline the experiences of three e-publishing projects. Timothy Stephen and Teresa Harrison overview Comserv, an electronic information service for individuals in the field of human communi- cations studies and discuss some of the problems faced by online disciplinary services, especially those related to adoption and funding.

Mauri Collins and Zane Berg describe the background of the “Interpersonal Computing and Technology Jour- nal: An Electronic Journal for the 2 1 st Century” (IPCT- J). This article focuses on the decisionmaking processes in regard to credibility, accessibility, permanence, and the associated technical issues regarding distribution over the Internet.

Jaap Japerse discusses the results of a user evaluation of a New Zealand experiment with parallel publishing of primary science on CD-ROM and paper. He argues that paper will continue to be relevant for the practicing sci- entist, and any electronic alternative must cater for downloading to output media such as the laser printer.

Phillip Doty and Ann Bishop examine the past and present state of federal initiatives in electronic network- ing and the implications for electronic publishing. This article concludes with the identification of areas where policies must be changed and suggests the role that ASIS members can play in shaping the future of publishing in the networked world.

Robin P. Peek

About the Authors

Jane Berliss is a 1986 graduate from the University of Michigan School of Library and Information Science, with a focus on services to patrons with disabilities and human factors in automation. She is the author of Checklists for Making Library Automation Accessible to Disabled Patrons. Currently, Ms. Berliss is access prod- ucts director for Berkeley Systems, Inc., which manufac- tures adaptive technology for blind and low-vision per- sons.

Mauri Collins is an instructional television utilization assistant at WPSX-TV and the managing editor of ZPCT Journal. Prior to her doctoral work at Pennsylvania State University, she managed the Faculty Development Cen- ter at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Zane Berge is director, Center for Teaching and Technology, Aca- demic Computer Center, Georgetown University. He consults on interactive learning systems and is publisher of IPCT Journal.

Philip Doty is on the faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Texas at Austin. He has published and done research ex- tensively in topics dealing with electronic networking, federal information and networking policy, and the

effects of networking on scientific and technical commu- nication and reward. He received his MLS from the Syr- acuse University School of Information Studies, where he is presently a doctoral candidate in Information Transfer. He and Ann P. Bishop have done research sponsored by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the Office of Management and Budget, NASA, the Council on Library Resources, and the Mu- seum Computer Network. They are also founding asso- ciate editors of Internet Research: Electronic Networks Applications and Policy, the only peer-reviewed, archival journal dedicated to internetworking, and coauthors, with Charles R. McClure and Howard Rosenbaum, of the 199 1 monograph, The National Research and Edu- cation Network (NREN): Research and Policy Perspec- tives (Ablex). Ann P. Bishop is a lecturer at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the Uni- versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include electronic networking, information seeking and use behavior, scientific and technical com- munication, and federal information policy. She is cur- rently working on a study of the impact of computer net- working on engineering work and on a user-based evalu- ation of the Blacksburg Electronic Village. Bishop is an associate editor for Internet Research.

Jon Gold has 13 years of experience in the publishing industry, specializing in data conversion, implementing SGML, and the design of publishing solutions. He is cur- rently a technical support specialist at Avalanche Devel- opment Corp., a provider of SGML solutions and SGML conversion software tools.

Thomas Jacobson is an associate professor of commu- nication, State University of New York at Buffalo. His research areas include mass media, national develop- ment, and computerized information systems. He also sits on the advisory board of the Communication Insti- tute for Online Scholarship and manages the ComDev listserve, devoted to communication and development studies.

Jaap Jasperse (“Yahp Yahs-pur-suh”) studied biol- ogy at the University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and graduated as doctorandus, cum laude, in 1982. A limnol- ogist and a science journalist in New Zealand since 1983, he became the editor of the New Zealand Journal of Ma- rine and Freshwater Research in 1986. He combined this position with part-time Communications Studies (1989- 92) and was awarded a Ph.D. from Victoria University of Wellington for his CD-ROM thesis on electronic pub- lishing.

Clifford Lynch is director of library automation at the University of California Office of the President. He also leads the Architectures and Standards Working Group for Networked Information and is a director-at-large of ASIS.

Robin P. Peek is assistant professor at the Gradu- ate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College. She is a writer, editor, and speaker

on various topics in electronic publishing. Peek Timothy Stephen and Teresa M. Harrison are associ- serves on the ASIS Publications Committee and also ate Professors of human communication cqchairs the of the Comserve senior editor for a be published by the MIT Press on the impact of e- and community. Ms. Harrison specializes in organiza- publishing upon academia. tional communication.

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