LOC Workshop on Etexts | Page 3

CHARLES B. KRAMER, Attorney CompuServe: 72600,2026 Internet: [email protected] Tel: (212) 254-5093 *END*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.08.29.92*END*
The Project Gutenberg Etext of LOC WORKSHOP ON ELECTRONIC TEXTS

WORKSHOP ON ELECTRONIC TEXTS
PROCEEDINGS

Edited by James Daly

9-10 June 1992
Library of Congress Washington, D.C.

Supported by a Grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Proceedings Welcome Prosser Gifford and Carl Fleischhauer
Session I. Content in a New Form: Who Will Use It and What Will They Do? James Daly (Moderator) Avra Michelson, Overview Susan H. Veccia, User Evaluation Joanne Freeman, Beyond the Scholar Discussion
Session II. Show and Tell Jacqueline Hess (Moderator) Elli Mylonas, Perseus Project Discussion Eric M. Calaluca, Patrologia Latina Database Carl Fleischhauer and Ricky Erway, American Memory Discussion Dorothy Twohig, The Papers of George Washington Discussion Maria L. Lebron, The Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials Discussion Lynne K. Personius, Cornell mathematics books Discussion
Session III. Distribution, Networks, and Networking: Options for Dissemination Robert G. Zich (Moderator) Clifford A. Lynch Discussion Howard Besser Discussion Ronald L. Larsen Edwin B. Brownrigg Discussion
Session IV. Image Capture, Text Capture, Overview of Text and Image Storage Formats William L. Hooton (Moderator) A) Principal Methods for Image Capture of Text: direct scanning, use of microform Anne R. Kenney Pamela Q.J. Andre Judith A. Zidar Donald J. Waters Discussion B) Special Problems: bound volumes, conservation, reproducing printed halftones George Thoma Carl Fleischhauer Discussion C) Image Standards and Implications for Preservation Jean Baronas Patricia Battin Discussion D) Text Conversion: OCR vs. rekeying, standards of accuracy and use of imperfect texts, service bureaus Michael Lesk Ricky Erway Judith A. Zidar Discussion
Session V. Approaches to Preparing Electronic Texts Susan Hockey (Moderator) Stuart Weibel Discussion C.M. Sperberg-McQueen Discussion Eric M. Calaluca Discussion
Session VI. Copyright Issues Marybeth Peters
Session VII. Conclusion Prosser Gifford (Moderator) General discussion
Appendix I: Program
Appendix II: Abstracts
Appendix III: Directory of Participants
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Carl Fleischhauer and Prosser Gifford for the opportunity to learn about areas of human activity unknown to me a scant ten months ago, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for supporting that opportunity. The help given by others is acknowledged on a separate page.
19 October 1992
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INTRODUCTION
The Workshop on Electronic Texts (1) drew together representatives of various projects and interest groups to compare ideas, beliefs, experiences, and, in particular, methods of placing and presenting historical textual materials in computerized form. Most attendees gained much in insight and outlook from the event. But the assembly did not form a new nation, or, to put it another way, the diversity of projects and interests was too great to draw the representatives into a cohesive, action-oriented body.(2)
Everyone attending the Workshop shared an interest in preserving and providing access to historical texts. But within this broad field the attendees represented a variety of formal, informal, figurative, and literal groups, with many individuals belonging to more than one. These groups may be defined roughly according to the following topics or activities:
* Imaging * Searchable coded texts * National and international computer networks * CD-ROM production and dissemination * Methods and technology for converting older paper materials into electronic form * Study of the use of digital materials by scholars and others
This summary is arranged thematically and does not follow the actual sequence of presentations.
NOTES: (1) In this document, the phrase electronic text is used to mean any computerized reproduction or version of a document, book, article, or manuscript (including images), and not merely a machine- readable or machine-searchable text.
(2) The Workshop was held at the Library of Congress on 9-10 June 1992, with funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The document that follows represents a summary of the presentations made at the Workshop and was compiled by James DALY. This introduction was written by DALY and Carl FLEISCHHAUER.
PRESERVATION AND IMAGING
Preservation, as that term is used by archivists,(3) was most explicitly discussed in the context of imaging. Anne KENNEY and Lynne PERSONIUS explained how the concept of a faithful copy and the user-friendliness of the traditional book have guided their project at Cornell University.(4) Although interested in computerized dissemination, participants in the Cornell project are creating digital image sets of older books in the public domain as a source for a fresh paper facsimile or, in a future phase, microfilm. The books returned to the library shelves are high-quality and useful replacements on acid-free paper that should last a long time. To date, the Cornell project has placed little or no emphasis on creating searchable texts; one would not be surprised to find that the project participants view such texts as new editions, and thus not as faithful reproductions.
In her talk on preservation, Patricia BATTIN struck an ecumenical and flexible note as she endorsed the creation and dissemination of a variety of types of