http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/ History. Education. Technology. Sat, 19 May 2012 02:44:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-560 SchlagerBlog » Blog Archive » Reference publishing news from LJ Online Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:12:00 +0000 http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-560 [...] relevant encyclopedia articles when they are searching for information on a given topic. As I have previously blogged about, the whole issue of “reference discoverability” has been a major liability for [...] […] relevant encyclopedia articles when they are searching for information on a given topic. As I have previously blogged about, the whole issue of “reference discoverability” has been a major liability for […]

]]> http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-520 Seeing the picture » Blog Archive » Librarians & Publishers Twitter Together Thu, 07 May 2009 15:56:12 +0000 http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-520 [...] Two recent articles, one by a librarian and one by a publisher, talk of the growing realization on the part of both parties that they increasingly have common interests, as both learn how to deal with the the implications of electronic publishing — Librarian Barbara Fister’s Library Journal cover story Publishers & Librarians: Two cultures one goal and publisher Neil Schlager’s blog article The problem with reference publishing. [...] […] Two recent articles, one by a librarian and one by a publisher, talk of the growing realization on the part of both parties that they increasingly have common interests, as both learn how to deal with the the implications of electronic publishing — Librarian Barbara Fister’s Library Journal cover story Publishers & Librarians: Two cultures one goal and publisher Neil Schlager’s blog article The problem with reference publishing. […]

]]> http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-519 neil Mon, 04 May 2009 17:38:54 +0000 http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-519 True, Chris, full-text indexing could help with discoverability of electronic resources. But it comes with its own attendant problems, including very large search results. A student writing a paper about the Declaration of Independence would have to wade through a ton of results from our just-published <a href="http://salempress.com/store/samples/milestone_am_leaders/milestone_am_leaders.htm" rel="nofollow">Milestone Documents of American Leaders</a>, or our earlier <a href="http://salempress.com/store/samples/milestone_documents_american/milestone_documents.htm" rel="nofollow">Milestone Documents in American History</a> -- to say nothing of all the other electronic resources the library may own. More selective search results at the article level would be better in many cases. Paratext's Reference Universe does this, but at a price, and I doubt it's found in many -- if any -- school or public libraries. True, Chris, full-text indexing could help with discoverability of electronic resources. But it comes with its own attendant problems, including very large search results. A student writing a paper about the Declaration of Independence would have to wade through a ton of results from our just-published Milestone Documents of American Leaders, or our earlier Milestone Documents in American History — to say nothing of all the other electronic resources the library may own. More selective search results at the article level would be better in many cases. Paratext’s Reference Universe does this, but at a price, and I doubt it’s found in many — if any — school or public libraries.

]]> http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-518 More on reference books « Feral Librarian Mon, 04 May 2009 17:20:32 +0000 http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-518 [...] on reference books 2009 May 4 tags: e-books, discovery, reference by Chris The problem with reference publishing is discoverability. One answer is full-text indexing, with results integrated into mainstream [...] […] on reference books 2009 May 4 tags: e-books, discovery, reference by Chris The problem with reference publishing is discoverability. One answer is full-text indexing, with results integrated into mainstream […]

]]> http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-517 Monday’s reads at About Anything Mon, 04 May 2009 16:39:57 +0000 http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-517 [...] Schlager’s piece arguing that the fundamental problem with  reference publishing is [...] […] Schlager’s piece arguing that the fundamental problem with  reference publishing is […]

]]> http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-516 neil Mon, 04 May 2009 16:34:21 +0000 http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-516 Also, Eric, as Adam Hodgkin of Exact Editions points out, there are other kinds of digital formats that do make a better fit for reference books than does the traditional "e-book" format. Witness the <a href="http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/442/731" rel="nofollow">Encyclopedia of China</a> that Exact Editions has just done for Berkshire. This digital edition functions beautifully. Nonetheless, it doesn't really solve the core problem of discoverability. How does a student find their way to the specific articles in this work (print or digital) that will help them with their research? Unless they are skilled researchers already (and certainly that's often true), they will need the guidance of a librarian, and therein lies the problem. Is the digital edition "crawled" at the article level by Google? Or does it require a student to click on the specific "Encyclopedia of China" title in the list of databases that the library subscribes to? These are core problems that publishers have not sufficiently solved. With each barrier to discoverability, the usage decreases. Also, Eric, as Adam Hodgkin of Exact Editions points out, there are other kinds of digital formats that do make a better fit for reference books than does the traditional “e-book” format. Witness the Encyclopedia of China that Exact Editions has just done for Berkshire. This digital edition functions beautifully. Nonetheless, it doesn’t really solve the core problem of discoverability. How does a student find their way to the specific articles in this work (print or digital) that will help them with their research? Unless they are skilled researchers already (and certainly that’s often true), they will need the guidance of a librarian, and therein lies the problem. Is the digital edition “crawled” at the article level by Google? Or does it require a student to click on the specific “Encyclopedia of China” title in the list of databases that the library subscribes to? These are core problems that publishers have not sufficiently solved. With each barrier to discoverability, the usage decreases.

]]> http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-515 neil Mon, 04 May 2009 14:49:26 +0000 http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-515 Very good point, Eric. Of course, in reference publishing, the problem of discoverability extends to the printed books as well. So discoverability bedevils us all along the chain, from print to electronic (both e-books and databases). Very good point, Eric. Of course, in reference publishing, the problem of discoverability extends to the printed books as well. So discoverability bedevils us all along the chain, from print to electronic (both e-books and databases).

]]> http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-514 Eric Rumsey Mon, 04 May 2009 14:43:23 +0000 http://neilblog.schlagergroup.com/2009/05/03/the-problem-with-reference-publishing/#comment-514 The problem with making reference materials more discoverable is complicated by the observation that non-linear books seem to make poor candidates for e-books. See my article: <a href="http://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/hardinmd/2009/03/13/what-makes-a-good-ebook/" rel="nofollow">What makes a good eBook?</a> The problem with making reference materials more discoverable is complicated by the observation that non-linear books seem to make poor candidates for e-books. See my article: What makes a good eBook?

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