Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the EPUB Format but Were Afraid to Ask
- Conference Year
- Online Northwest 2011
- Session
- 1
- Type
- Breakout Session
- Presenters
- Greg Williams, West Linn Public Library
- Abstract
eBooks come in an alphabet-soup-like assortment of formats (lit, azw, chm, pdf, mobi, just to name a few…), but chances are, a large portion of the eBooks your library is offering and your patrons are reading are in the EPUB format. But what, exactly, is an EPUB? How do EPUB publications differ from other types of eBooks? Who’s supporting EPUB (and who isn’t)? How are EPUBs created? What can the EPUB format offer my patrons and my library, today and tomorrow? It’s time you got to know EPUB a little better.
This presentation will provide librarians with a basic understanding of the EPUB format. We’ll look at EPUB’s current features, marketplace adoption, likely future developments and enhancements, and potential uses of EPUB in your library. In addition (for those who like to “get their hands dirty”), we’ll go “under the hood” of a sample EPUB publication, learning what kinds of content can be included, how content is organized and metadata is stored, and how it all gets bundled into a single, distributable file. We’ll also review some commercial and open source EPUB tools and resources. Basic familiarity with HTML, CSS, and XML is recommended.
- Links