Work has focused on the exploration of tools and methods in the past two months, with work underway in exploring the textclass system, Cocoon, and transformation tools such as Quark Avenue and Logictran. We have also begun to get the word out about our services and to generate interest from editors. Notably, in this period we reached a firm agreement with Post Identity, an interdisciplinary journal in the humanities, to create an enhanced electronic version of their print journal. One area of our goals we have fallen notably behind on is the development of information materials such as a brochure and Web site. February will see some intense concentration on these activities. Transitional work from our days as DLPD continues to occupy us, as we continue efforts to complete MoA4, and to provide BAS and DLF with support for their databases. Finally, in addition to the activities reported below, Brian Roseblum had a very active month, acquiring a new desk, phone number, and daughter.

1 Program building

1.1 Build understanding of the needs and concerns of campus publishers

Met with Thomas Trautmann of The Institute for the Humanities to talk about needs of humanities publishers on campus and to introduce him to SPO. Trautmann offered to host a meeting at the Institute for SPO to talk about its services.

1.2 Possible meeting of university libraries engaged in publishing efforts in their first two years of operation with no more than 5 FTE to talk about sharing tools, information, purpose.

Proposal went to Dan Greenstein at DLF who has agreed to fund and help organize meeting. Now looking at dates and invitees.

1.3 Communicate with and educate library staff about purpose of SPO and its services

Bonn gave a presentation to Senior Managers to share information about SPO's organization and goals and to generate interest and ideas about the ongoing development of the Office.
Met with Wanda Monroe to discuss developing a communications plan around SPO and its publications.

2 Content building

2.1 Communication with faculty editors

Learned that Michigan Germanic Studies (had expressed interest in our services) decided to discontinue publication.

2.2 Support for the Philosopher's Imprint

2.2.1 Create Web environment, searchable text and desired display

Loaded and indexed the first issue of the Philosophers' Imprint, including searchable text, pdf files, and gif page images created with GhostScript.
Modified (considerably) the JEP search script to accommodate Philosophers' Imprint searching and created a separate page viewer script for displaying and navigating page images.

2.2.2 Provide continuing data transformation support

Continued to fine tune conversion process
Solved the PDF error problem by using Distiller 4.0 instead of 3.0

2.3 Support for The Medieval Review

Completed script to transform TMR articles to textclass dtd
Did some basic maintenance of TMR web pages
Converted 5 old TMR articles to textclass dtd in preparation for testing
Talked with Phil Farber in DLPS about issues involved with moving TMR to textclass, including the possibility of adding a "Download SGML" function to textclass.

2.4 Support for the Michigan Quarterly Review

2.4.1 Develop online system for current publication

Wrote script for maintaining notis id directories in journal prep. Modified script for conversion of journal class documents to texctlass.
Collated a number of converted MQR articles, validated, and began experimentation with the textclass delivery system but current unavailability of documentation has led to some problems.

2.4.2 Digitize backfile

Continued to encode MQR files using Quark Avenue and continued to encounter problems. Dropped it for the time being as a method for encoding. Decided RTF Converter was a better way to go and began process of configuring RTF converter to suit our needs. This put us behind in terms of converting the MQR files, but once RTF Converter is configured correctly, we will be able to do all the MQR files more quickly in one big batch process.
Talked to Cushing Malloy about MQR images. Decided they did not have them in a format that would work for us, and decided it was better to have Sally re-photograph all images from the print issues.
Delivered cart of back issues of MQR (1960-1997) to Preservation for preparation.

2.7 Work with Library staff to identify publication possibilities within their collections.

Continued work on the online version of the Jo Labadie exhibit. Set up basic FM management database for image records and, set up config and data files, and transformed the data to image-class sgml. J Weise indexed. Currently awaiting authorization and html templates.
Obtained quark files from U.M. printing services for Women’s Voices.

2.8 Other content development

Met with staff of Post Identity, a journal in the humanities publishing from the University of Detroit-Mercy and agreed to collaborate on online version of the journal. Made initial assessment of their PageMaker files and provided them with rough samples of what their XML output might look like.

3 Retrieval System

3.1 Assess needs for modification of textclass retrieval system for journals

SPO staff met to conduct some analysis of textclass as a journal delivery and came up with several questions about results display and behavior. These will be broached in the first meeting of the DLPS-IR/Arch meeting in February.

4 Management system and tools

No new activity

5 Electronic subscription management

5.1 Assess possibilities for charging mechanisms for ACLS and other content

Worked with DLPS to determine what charging possibilities are easily supported by DLPS auth mechanisms. Will be documenting these to share with ACLS project participants.
Began process of determining requirements for taking credit cards over the Web.

6 Continue exploratory work on print on demand

Although there were no specific developments in this area, these discussions have in part been subsumed by the Digital Reformatting discussions. Bonn is working with Carla Montori to refine questions and issues around print on demand and will be presenting these to CMDC in the near future.

7 Support for ACLS

7.1 Evaluation of ACLS XML

Sample XML files for one monograph were received and reviewed. Sheppard is beginning some preliminary exploration of issues around online display.

8 Transitional goals

8.1 Release Directory of Ethnic Organizations

Modified the ethnic directory templates to prevent runaway processes on dlps4.

8.2 Complete and release BMP Index

QC'd and fixed data returned from vendor, created SGML, and passed on to JPW for indexing and implementation. BMP is now online and is waiting for some further work to be done on it by Access Services.

8.3 Finish MoA4

About 7000 texts were added to MoA (see the DLPS monthly report -- http://www.umdl.umich.edu/monthly/200101.html)
Work continues on the MoA4 handbook
Troubleshooting of MoA4 billing continued – Scott Ward has stepped in to straighten out the accounts.
Planning for the MoA4 kickoff event is well underway. Doris Kearns Goodwin will be speaking on March 12^th.
The MoA4 staff won a “we did it” award and celebrated with some well-deserved pizza at Pizza House.

8.4 Continue as liaison to DLPS for Arts of Citizenship, Making of Ann Arbor and the Saline Historical Photographs project.

Attended meeting at AADL, attended by AADL staff and representatives of various local history organizations, regarding the creation by AADL of a portal for local history information resources.
Contributed to discussion of MOAA planning and funding. A mission statement is in development, as are plans to complete the Pictorial History of Ann Arbor.
Negotiated delivery of the Saline database to Image Services and have passed off arrangements around the letter of agreement to Pat Hodges.

9 Outreach, collaboration and intra-library cooperation

Cleaned data in the management db for the DLF Collections, reloaded the data to the server, and modified the templates to accommodate additional fields.
Revised and continued work on BAS
Contributed to discussions of digital reformatting coordination
Led the MyLibrary evaluation team in developing an evaluation plan. The group developed and online survey as step one of that plan.
Bonn is serving as an outside advisor on David Gard's masters project -- an environmental impact study on the production and use of electronic journals.
Bonn met with Lisa Rudgers, the new VP for communication as part of her Library tour to demo some of the Library's digital resources.
Participated in interviews for head of DSS.
Consulted with Preservation regarding tracking techniques for outsourced scanning projects.
Consulted with Graduate Library Exchanges & Gifts to export the data from an obsolete FoxPro database.
Met with P MacKintosh and J PWilkin to discuss the current status of the planned online course reserves management system.

Library Scholarly Publishing Office Monthly Report: December 2000/January 2001