E‐profile ebrary1: A User‐Centered Digital Library of Interactive Content
| Published date | 01 January 2005 |
| Date | 01 January 2005 |
| Pages | 31-39 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07419050510588287 |
| Author | Gerry McKiernan |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
E-profile
ebrary
1
: A User-Centered Digital Library
of Interactive Content
Gerry McKiernan
LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 1 2005, pp. 31-39, #Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/07419050510588287 31
Imagine being able to send full text and
graphics documents (newspapers, maga-
zine articles, technical manuals etc.) over
electronic mail distribution networks.
These documents could be viewed on
any machine and any selected document
could be printed locally. This capability
would truly change the way information
is managed. Large centrally maintained
databases of documents could be ac-
cessed remotely and selectively printed
remotely (Warnock, 1991).
Portable document format
Portable document format (PDF) is a
file format developed by Adobe
Systems for representing documents in
a manner that is independent of the
original application software, and
operating system used to create those
documents. A PDF file can describe
documents containing any combination
of text, graphics, and images in a device
independent and resolution independent
format. These documents can be one
page or thousands of pages, very simple
or extremely complex with a rich use of
fonts, graphics, colour, and images
(Wikipedia, 2004). The PDF format was
initially an internal project at Adobe
1
``to create a file format so that
documents could be spread throughout
the company and displayed on any
computer using any operating systems''
(www.prepressure. com/pdf/history/
history01.htm). It was outlined and
described by John Warnock, co-founder
of Adobe, in a White Paper titled ``The
Camelot Project'' (Warnock, 1991).
For Warnock, the Camelot Project
was an effort to ``define a new language
of operators and conventions'' (Warnock,
1991). Less than a decade later,
Christopher Warnock, the son of John
Warnock, launched ebrary
1
, a digital
library that utilizes advanced PDF-based
technology to transform static PDF pages
into a ``highly interactive experience,
where users can interact with every word
in every document'' (http://
corp.ebrary.com/publishers/asp.jsp).
Prior to co-founding ebrary in 1999,
Christopher Warnock was employed at
Adobe as a systems engineer, project
manager, and product marketing manager
for Adobe
1
Acrobat
1
(www.ebrary.
com/company/exec.jsp).
ebrary employs a streaming
technology that delivers documents one
page at a time, providing end-users with
ready access to the document without
needing to download a complete work.
In addition, the underlying technology
of ebrary `` ... deconstructs PDF and
builds a database that allows for the
support of several different business
and usage models. Incorporated within
this system is digital rights
management, full-text search, display
technology, multiple discovery engines
as well as some interfaces that ... have
[been] developed to facilitate
integration'' (Strauch, 2004, p. 66).
Collection(s)
At present, ebrary offers access to
``more than 40,000 full-text books and
other documents from over 180 of the
world's leading academic, trade and
professional publishers'' (http://corp.
ebrary.com/libraries/features.jsp#010),
providing full-text, searchable
collections and sub-collections for all
major subject areas (www.ebrary.com/
libraries/dbcollections.jsp) (see below).
Aggregated databases
Academic
(1) Academic complete:
.> 19,197 titles (December 1,
2004).
.All content in aggregated
academic collections plus
> 1,050 maps of academic
interest.
.Also includes a rich collection
of hundreds of additional titles,
ranging from law to core
reference, that are not avail-
able in any other collection.
(2) Business and economics:
.> 3,644 titles (December 1,
2004).
.75 percent published in 2000
or later.
.Supports both undergraduate
and postgraduate levels.
.Category strengths: business
administration, business prac-
tice, management, economic
development, economic his-
tory and theory, and interna-
tional business.
(3) Computers, technology, and engi-
neering:
.> 2,194 titles.
.67 percent published in 2000
or later.
.Category strengths: computer
programming, networking,
software applications, engi-
neering, IT case studies, secur-
ity, and telecommunications.
(4) Humanities:
.> 5,287 titles.
.Covers a vast range of sub-
jects.
.Category strengths: history
(see below), language and
linguistics, literature and lit-
erary criticism, philosophy.
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