Technology constantly builds on other technology. This computer-delivered editorial is the result of advances in electronics that allowed for the creation of computers, which in turn led to breakthroughs in the software running on those machines and to the formats that support display and distribution. Standards build upon each other, too. They create a complex network of interconnected documents, interlinking references, and dependencies; some normative, others not. And despite advances in digital distribution in recent decades, the distribution of standards has been hampered by a lack of consistent structures that allow us to free our documents from the limitations of PDF and move them into robust use.
Last month, NISO published the NISO Standards Tag Suite (NISO STS), a derivative of the NISO standard Journal Article Tag Suite (NISO JATS). NISO JATS is a great example of how standards can facilitate interconnected documentation and ideally an example of how standards can be adapted to offer fully robust content. Similarly, the new NISO STS could affect broader interconnectedness in the standards development community and improvements in how people use our outputs.
Ideally, if adoption of NISO STS is successful, several things will happen. First, the cost to standards developing organizations to create XML documents will fall as vendors expand their market and reduce the need to customize their tools. This should lead to reduced production costs for standards developers of all sizes. Next, tools for using and distributing standards will show increased functionality and lower costs. This should boost the availability of standards and allow for more functional end-user tools. Finally, a more robust network of interlinked documents will allow for easier navigation and engagement with published standards. Ideally, this will lead to greater conformance with those works.
In conjunction with the launch of NISO STS, NISO hosted our first meeting outside of North America, a Geneva, Switzerland forum on XML for Standards Publishers. The meeting was a tremendous success; it attracted more than 70 participants and allowed us to further extend NISO's reach outside the United States. Over the years, we have increasingly focused on the international ecosystem of content distribution, discovery, and interoperability. We hope these efforts mean that NISO is recognized as working both domestically and internationally and not simply as a 'National' organization (despite our full name). We have long operated outside of U.S. borders, and this project helps us to extend that practice.
I've strongly encouraged our community to think and operate globally. One of my favorite quotes is from St. Augustine of Hippo, who said, "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." NISO's work--not only that on XML for standards--travels the globe and reaches a worldwide community.
NISO Reports
Media Stories
DAISY Announces Ace Beta Release
Inclusive Publishing, October 11, 2017
Ace, a software that is newly in beta release from DAISY, can help answer the question of whether material is truly accessible to disabled users. Among other features, Ace runs accessibility tests on EPUB documents and acessibility related metadata.
The State of Open Data Report 2017
Figshare, October 23, 2017 by Digital Science, Mark Hahnel, Jon Treadway, Briony Fane, Robert Kiley, Dale Peters & Grace Baynes
Figshare has released its annual examination of global attitudes toward open data. This year's report includes such articles as "Outputs Sharing: A Perspective from the Wellcome Trust" and "What Open Data Means for an Institution - The University of Cape Town."
Award-winning Ebook Audit Signals New Chapter for Librarians and Disabled Students Alike
Jisc, October 24, 2017
A crowdsourced spreadsheet produced by a partnership of UK Higher Education Institutions, Jisc, and publishers helps students to know, ahead of purchase, which ebooks are accessible to those with disabilities.
The Fervor Around Blockchains Explained in Two Minutes
Wired, October 20, 2017; by Tom Simonite
"There is apparently nothing that the shared-database technology known as blockchains can't fix. At least, that's the impression given by the horde of governments, banks, entrepreneurs, and tech companies working on the technology. But what is a blockchain and why the excitement?"
Copyright Office Reports Results of Public Inquiry on Mass Digitization Pilot Program
Copyright.gov, Issue No. 685, October 4, 2017
In 2011, the Copyright Office began to assess how to support mass digitization projects. One result of that work was the Office's 2015 Orphan Works and Mass Digitization Report, which recommended that a pilot program test "extended collective licensing," or ECL. This new report from the Copyright Office describes the results of the pilot and documents related public comments.
New and Proposed Specs and Standards
JATS Standing Committee Welcomes Comments on Committee Draft of ANSI/NISO Z39.96 Journal Article Tag Suite (JATS) Version 1.2
The NISO JATS Standing Committee has completed reviewing the requests for changes to ANSI/NISO Z39.96-2015 (V1.1), JATS: Journal Article Tag Suite from the release of that version through April 10, 2017. This document lists the committee recommendations made in response to those change requests. Public comments are invited at http://www.niso.org/apps/group_public/add_comment.php?document_id=15932.
Current ISO Ballots
NISO Voting Members participate in the development, revision, and evaluation of standards. Voting Members are able to influence the standards process and mold the future of the industry. The following ballots are open and will close before the next issue of Newsline. If you are a NISO Voting Member, log into your NISO page and you'll see the ballots linked there.
Revision of ISO/IEC TS 30135 Information technology -- Digital publishing -- EPUB 3
Information technology - Digital publishing - EPUB3 - Part 1: Overview
Information technology - Digital publishing - EPUB3 - Part 2: Publications
Information technology - Digital publishing - EPUB3 - Part 3: Content Documents
Information technology - Digital publishing - EPUB3 - Part 4: Open Container Format
Information technology - Digital publishing - EPUB3 - Part 5: Media Overlay
Information technology - Digital publishing - EPUB3 - Part 6: Canonical Fragment Identifier
New versions of EPUB will be developed in W3C, since International Digital Publishing Forum merged to W3C in January 2017.
This ballot closes on November 10, 2017.
The following systematic review ballots will close on November 20, 2017
- Systematic review of ISO 5122:1979 (vers 5), Documentation -- Abstract sheets in serial publications
This International Standard sets out rules for the presentation of an abstract sheet in a periodical or other serial publication. - Systematic review of ISO 2384:1977 (vers 5) -- Documentation, Presentation of translations
This International Standard sets out rules to ensure that translations are presented in a Standard form which will simplify their use by different categories of User. - Systematic review of ISO 18, Documentation -- Contents list of periodicals
This International Standard provides rules for the presentation of the contents list of a periodical (see ISO 8 for the presentation of periodicals.) - Systematic review of ISO 15924:2004 (vers 3), Information and documentation -- Codes for the representation of names of scripts
This International Standard provides a code for the presentation of names of scripts. The codes were devised for use in terminology, lexicography, bibliography, and linguistics, but they may be used for any application requiring the expression of scripts in coded form. This International Standard also includes guidance on the use of script codes in some of these applications. - Systematic review of ISO 1086:1991 (Ed 2, vers 5), Title leaves of books
This international Standard specifies the information to be printed on title leaves of books and the manner in which this information should be presented and arranged. Its purpose is to help editors and publishers to produce title leaves that facilitate unambiguous citation by users such as booksellers, librarians, documentalists, authors, indexers, cataloguers, database producers, etc.
The following are also systematic review ballots; these will close on November 21, 2017.
- Systematic review of ISO 5123:1984 (vers 5) Documentation -- Headers for microfiche of monographs and serials
This International Standard lays down rules for the presentation of the information to be provided in the header areas of microfiche produced for distribution by, or to, libraries and information centres. It is applicable to original micropublications as well as to microfiche editions of monographs and serials and their contributions. It is applicable equally to complete works as well as to parts of works and to catalogues whether the microfiche are produced by computer output microfilming KOM) or other methods, for example step-and-repeat camera. - Systematic review of ISO 7275:1985 (vers 5), Documentation -- Presentation of title information of series
This International Standard describes the elements required for the identification of series and Parts thereof and gives rules for the presentation and place of such elements. Its purpose is to enable publishers and editors to identify publications grouped in series, thus facilitating the acquisition and recording of series. - Systematic review of ISO 7144:1986 (vers 6), Documentation -- Presentation of theses and similar documents
This International Standard gives rules for the presentation of theses and similar documents in all disciplines. - Systematic review of ISO 6357:1985 (vers 5), Documentation -- Spine titles on books and other publications
This International Standard establishes rules for the general layout (Position and orientation) and use of spine titles and corresponding text used on books, serial publications, periodicals, reports and other forms of documentation such as cases, cassettes, and comparable items intended for placing on shelves. lt is applicable only to text with Roman, Greek or Cyrillic characters. lt includes rules for allocating a space on the spine, to be used for library identification purposes, and rules for the use of edge titles.
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