Music Word Media has published the first in a series of innovative web applications on musical topics.
The app presents The Caldwell Collection of Viols, by Catharina Meints Caldwell (Oberlin College Conservatory), published previously for iPad in May 2012 and in print/CD in July.
What is a web app?
The web-app format needs a few words of introduction as it represents a radically new idea in publishing. It uses open-source software, based on the Baker Framework, to present text, reference notes, tables, bibliographies and appendices, images (including music scores), audio, and video in an immersive and clutter-free interface. There are no “pages” — text flows within each chapter or section without interruption; reference notes pop up at the appropriate point in the text rather than in another part of the screen or document. Elements such as tables and images needing intensive study are presented in full-window frames that can be called at will from within the text.
How do I view it?
The application is currently configured for JavaScript-enabled webkit browsers such as Chrome and Safari on desktop and laptop computers running any operating system. Firefox and other layout engines (with the exception of Internet Explorer) are also supported. Within the next few days or weeks the platform will be upgraded to run on iPads and Android tablets as well.
Is that all?
The framework of The Caldwell Collection web app provides a platform for further steps in a planned program toward realizing the potential of digital media to transform scholarly publishing from the dissemination of authoritative texts in permanent form to maximally-informed conversations among experts.
Plans for further development include:
- Granular DOI references at the level of paragraph, figure, caption, footnote, etc. This will afford internet-wide cross-referencing with other publications using DOI standards.
- Threaded and tagged commenting. This “social reading” layer permits societies, classes, study groups, or other combinations to engage in real-time discussion of a publication, either in private or in a public mode.
- Full-text search, integrated with Google Scholar and other engines to enhance discoverability beyond disciplinary and expert communities.
The Caldwell Collection of Viols web app is published without access restrictions, but solicits donations in any amount in support of development. Other web apps with access restricted to authenticated users will be published soon.
Can my organization publish this way too?
Organizations interested in implementing similar technologies in their publishing programs, avoiding technological and vendor lock-in, maintaining flexibility, and future-proofing development, can engage Music Word Media’s consulting services.
