Entertainment For Lively Minds
The Word Archive
Enjoyed the article in the current issue looking back at the past 99 issues. I've been along for the ride since about issue 4, but most of those early issues have long gone to the recycling.....
So, I know this has come up before (and probably from me !), but its seems like an opportune time to ask again on the chances of a Word Archive - all those lovely back issues converted to PDF. Maybe as a thank you to us loyal subscribers / incentive to new subscribers - either posted in a special subscribers area or sent via CD with the magazine.
I'm sure the electronic versions of all the past issues must still exist and running a PDF version surely can't be that difficult.
My guess is that there may be some copyright issues with some of the pictures, but isn't there a way around that (especially if supplying to subscribers who have already bought).
Thoughts ? Am I alone in this desire ?
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It's a great idea
And I'd love it if it were as easy as you make it sound. But it would be a mammoth, extraordinarily time-consuming task, and we just don't have the resources to allocate to such a project.
Can it be done as
some kind of communal wiki type project? The software gets dished out to whoever has the equipment to undertake the task in hand and we all muck in, issue by issue.
I have no qualifications in anything remotely computer-like as your next comments may make abundantly clear.
*takes off rose-tinted specs*
Not easy
It would involve getting everyone involved a copy of Adobe's Creative Suite ($1300 a copy) and Quark ($700) - and that's before you even start work.
You can tell I'm not in publishing.....
..... I'd just assumed that whatever DTP software you used would have a print to PDF option.... much like the preview option on MacOS (if I recall correctly from pictures of the Word office you all use shiny iMac's).
I know that some magazines can do it (example being MacFormat) but presume they are part of bigger media empires that have departments for that kind of thing.
Maybe one day.......
tsk...
don't suppose you'd chance torrenting the software, no? :)
Tell you what....
.. I'll give you a fiver. You can burn one of your remaining copies of the Dido issue in return for my choice of another edition on pdf?
It's win-win! Whats not to like?
I'm not sure it could be done as a freebie
But as a relative newcomer, I'd happily pay for access to an electronic Word archive. I don't know why more magazines don't do this...would be interested to know the thoughts of The word office on this.
See my comment above.
Motor Sport magazine sell DVDs of 10-year runs of scans
1930s, 1950s, 1960s etc complete with adverts etc. They're around £40 each and include software to search for keywords, names etc so they're obviously more than just 'dumb' scans.
I think they're part of Haymarket so, presumably, have a unit able to do this sort of thing.
Great minds!
Only yours is greater because you got the name of the mag right.
And the format.
Easy... I have a set of them on the shelf next to me :-)
Motorsport
Motorsport Magazine made an archive available via CD-ROM. They aren't free and I can imagine it was a massive undertaking.
London Review of Books
which I assume doesn't have a lot of staff or money have recently made their entire archive (thirty years from memory) available to subscribers. Any idea how, Fraser?
LRB
LRB appear have twice as many "subscriptions assistants" as we have editorial staff. It would also depend in which format the archive was held in the first place. I also believe (and I could be wrong on this) that their archive is available through libraries and educational establishments, so they may have had outside help in getting the job done.
Wouldn't it be possible to do a low tech version?
Ditch the overpriced software; just scan to tif, then print to PDF using an open source converter like PDFCreator?
Possible
But still massively time-consuming - that's 13,000+ scans, and you're left with something that isn't searchable.
If you were going to do it, and charge for it,
it would need to be done properly.
The Motor Sport Archive allows searching across issues, volumes and decades. The searches include the adverts and photos so presumably, someone has added keywords to every advert and illustration.
Together with the need to scan paper copies, I suspect it's a huge job..
Right
On all counts.
Given that there's no facility to search the hard copy archive
that I already own, and that finding a vaguely remembered article within it involves trawling through a mountain of cardboard boxes and piles of old mags, one page at a time, the ability to do the same on screen at the scroll of a window control might already be of significant benefit. Not significant enough to charge real wonga for, obviously, but hey, if there are 13000 pages to scan, at a minute each, all it takes is someone with nothing better to do for about 9 days straight without sleep, and it could happen!
*fires up scanner, retrieves huge pile of back issues from loft, pours enormous mug of coffee, and settles in for the duration*