6.Electronic publishing
The increasing expansion of HTML5 in the past year is possibly the most significant recent development for electronic publishing workflows. HTML5 enables a page in a document to render as a web page in the fullest sense of that concept, and to render that page in whatever fashion optimizes the original design for a particular platform. HTML5 also uses the same coding to display that same page across any other platforms and devices that support HTML5 — an ever-expanding assortment, including iPads, iPhones, laptops, and desktops. Even video and images will display more vibrantly under the new standard.
The benefits for museums are the same as they are for commercial publishers — it minimizes the incremental cost of supporting new forms of publication by integrating their content production and design. For example, once the decision is made to support HTML5, a print design, a web design, and an e-pub design all flow from the same basic design work, enabling not only publications in a variety of formats, but a minimum of additional work to make all three render that design optimally.
Publishing content in a variety of formats will allow educators to easily create specialized versions of exhibition content for distance learning and other forums, while curators will be able to easily modify an electronic publication to suit specific audiences, such as art historians or students of techniques.
Examples:
The benefits for museums are the same as they are for commercial publishers — it minimizes the incremental cost of supporting new forms of publication by integrating their content production and design. For example, once the decision is made to support HTML5, a print design, a web design, and an e-pub design all flow from the same basic design work, enabling not only publications in a variety of formats, but a minimum of additional work to make all three render that design optimally.
Publishing content in a variety of formats will allow educators to easily create specialized versions of exhibition content for distance learning and other forums, while curators will be able to easily modify an electronic publication to suit specific audiences, such as art historians or students of techniques.
Examples:
National Museums Scotland recently rebuilt their website in HTML5, which has allowed them to more easily and dynamically share hi-resolution images and videos across all viewing platforms, including the iPad. http://www.nms.ac.uk/default.aspx