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XML Backlist: Survey Results
ACLS Humanities E-Book has recently completed a survey about our new experiment in format, the “XML Backlist,” which compares a selected group of 20 books in the humanities that are presented in both XML and Page-image format (see Format Comparison below).
The survey was designed to elicit feedback on the advantages and disadvantages of the two e-book formats, in terms of basic interface, readability, navigation, and interactive features. Survey invitations were sent to 2,500 librarians from April to August 2008. The response allows HEB to be 90 percent confident in the conclusions drawn from the survey, taking into account a 6 percent margin of error. HEB also surveyed faculty, scholars, researchers and students, but because we had the highest response rate from librarians, we are confining our current analysis to this data.
In general, responses were somewhat equivocal in terms of format preference. Although more respondents (70% to 30%) indicated that they preferred the XML books, many also favorably evaluated features specific to each format, and a number mentioned their preference to have both formats available, as they are useful for different purposes. Page-image format was considered better for citation — since the original layout is replicated — and scholarly research, while XML was more useful for quick reference, readability, searching and viewing interactive elements.
In open-format responses, there were a significant number of suggestions for improving the readability of the e-books, the use of page numbers, citation, and printing and downloading options, among other features. The comments and suggestions of respondents were quite illuminating and will inform HEB's decision making in the short- and long-term. This feedback is already providing a deeper understanding of the improvements that users wish to see in the ACLS Humanities E-Book collection.
The full survey results are currently being analyzed for inclusion in HEB's next white paper, which will go into further detail about our findings, as well as what weíve learned about comparative workflows, schedules, and costs.
Format Comparison (Click icon to view)
| Title |
Author |
XML Format |
Page Scan Format |
| Kingship and Politics in the Reign of Edward VI |
Alford, Stephen |
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| Australian Liberals and the Moral Middle Class: From Alfred Deakin to John Howard |
Brett, Judith |
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| Holy Women of the Syrian Orient |
Brock, Sebastian P. |
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| The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveller of the 14th Century |
Dunn, Ross E. |
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| Women in Anglo-Saxon England and the Impact of 1066 |
Fell, Christine |
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| Respectable Lives: Social Standing in Rural New Zealand |
Hatch, Elvin |
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| Bicycle Citizens: The Political World of the Japanese Housewife |
LeBlanc, Robin M. |
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| The Embattled Northeast: The Elusive Ideal of Alliance in Abenaki-Euramerican Relations |
Morrison, Kenneth M. |
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| Ford: The Times, the Man, the Company |
Nevins, Alan |
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| Ford: Expansion and Challenge, 1915-1933 |
Nevins, Alan |
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| Ford: Decline and Rebirth, 1933-1962 |
Nevins, Alan |
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| Voice of the Living Light: Hildegard of Bingen and Her World |
Newman, Barbara |
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| Cuba: Island of Paradox |
Phillips, Ruby Hart |
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| China's Foreign Relations, 1917-1931 |
Pollard, Robert T. |
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| Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Modern Japan |
Robertson, Jennifer |
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| The Encomienda in New Spain: The Beginning of Spanish Mexico |
Simpson, Lesley Byrd |
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| The Two Cultures |
Snow, C.P. |
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| Byzantiums's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900-1204 |
Stephenson, Paul |
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| The Syrian Princesses: The Women Who Ruled Rome, AD 193-235 |
Turton, Godfrey |
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| Speaking With Vampires: Rumor and History in Colonial Africa |
White, Luise |
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HEB02.01
rev. 9/13/10
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