Authors:Stewart Baker Abstract: The long-term sustainability of Open Source (OS) software depends on its community of developers and core users, as well as that community's stability. Assessing OS software and the community which creates it is, therefore, an essential step in using OS software for a project. In this study, surveys of OS journal management systems were reviewed to determine which were still actively maintained. Actively maintained systems were rated using QualiPSo's Open Maturity Model (OMM), an assessment tool for determining the maturity and robustness of OS software. Of the OS journal management systems mentioned in existing surveys, only Ambra, Lodel, and Open Journal Systems (OJS) are still actively maintained. Of these, OJS scored the highest OMM rating, followed by Ambra and Lodel. A new system, Janeway, was also assessed. Although OS software can carry risks, it also brings benefits to librarians, readers, and publishers of scholarly journals. Assessing OS software and getting involved in OS software communities both help ensure the long-term survival of these communities and their work.Keywords: Open Access publishing; Open Source software; software assessmentAuthor bio: Stewart C. Baker is the Systems and Institutional Repository Librarian at Western Oregon University. His interests are Open Source and Open Access, web design, emerging technologies, and how libraries are adapting to the changing information landscape. Stewart is also a published haiku poet and author of speculative fiction. PubDate: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/3336451.0023.101 Issue No:Vol. 23, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Sara Tanderup Linkis Abstract: Following a ‘boom’ in audiobook consumption, recent years have seen the emergence of born-audio literature: narratives written specifically for the audiobook format. The article focuses on the content and usage of born-audio serial narratives produced by the Swedish audiobook subscription service, Storytel. As these so-called Storytel Originals are produced specifically for the audiobook format, they make a good case for studying how the format influences the narrative content as well as the usage of literary texts. The serial publishing format becomes especially relevant within the subscription-based context because it, ideally, encourages users’ long-term commitment to the story - and to the service. Accordingly, it becomes relevant to investigate how Storytel uses the serial narrative format to attract and maintain the users’ attention. By combining literary analyses of selected Originals stories with quantitative analyses of statistical data on listening behaviour in relation to these series, we examine the connection between the narrative content of series in different genres and the users’ loyalty towards the series. Thus, we focus on the following research questions: How does the born-audio serial format shape the narrative content and usage of the Originals series, and to what extent does it promote user loyalty'Keyworks: digital audiobooks, seriality, listening patterns, new forms of reading, born-audio fiction. PubDate: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/3336451.0023.102 Issue No:Vol. 23, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Annie Johnson Abstract: Rediscovering an Old Genre: Open Textbook Publishing and University PressesAnnie JohnsonTemple Universityannie.johnson@temple.eduMost discussions about university presses focus on presses as monograph publishers. This article examines university presses as textbook publishers, and argues that presses could potentially play an important role in supporting the proliferation of open textbooks. I begin by tracing the long history of university presses’ involvement in textbook publishing, and more recently, presses’ involvement in open textbook publishing. I describe the different types of presses that are interested in open textbook publishing, and then attempt to classify the open textbooks that are currently being published by university presses. PubDate: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/3336451.0023.103 Issue No:Vol. 23, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Titus Nemeth Abstract: Justified setting is one of the most common configurations of a block of text. It is found across different cultures, writing systems, and languages. Yet whilst the concept of equalising the width of lines in a column to achieve a rectangular block is shared, the techniques that are employed towards this end are diverse. This paper discusses the justification of Arabic text. It lays out the methods that evolved in manuscript practice and reflects on their interpretation in typography. It casts a spotlight on the origins of the typographic justification techniques in Europe and compares them in three case studies to examples from the nineteenth century Middle East. A sketch contextualises how Arabic justification changed under the influence of technology and prepares the ground for a review of the provisions found in current typographic environments. The paper then presents the state-of-the-art of digital text layout for Arabic and queries its suitability. The argument concludes with recommendations of best practice aimed at toolmakers and designers of Arabic documents. PubDate: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/3336451.0023.104 Issue No:Vol. 23, No. 1 (2020)
Open Access journal
[22 journals]
