In academia, we are trained to think of publications as taking the form of a single and discrete object—the book. Many centuries of history have proven the value of the book as a model for communication. However, more recent history has shown that the many affordances of the book do not always tranlsate as affordances for digital publications. It is our contention that digital publications need not be limited by the schematic restrictions of traditional content management systems that are often built to replicate components of traditional print publications.
The OPS takes a database approach to digital publication. Data is not entered into a CMS where it is available for limited purposes. Instead, OPS publications are modeled as highly granular and integrated data in a database, from which many different forms of publication are possible.
The OPS uses the OCHRE database platform as the unified backend. By using a common database platform, the OPS is able to achieve the following.
- Produce publications that expand beyond the restrictions of the page and table format.
- Increase interoperability of data across publication volumes.
- Implement multiple controlled vocabularies in OCHRE's schema-agnostic system.
- Use persistent identifiers to cite highly granular data.
- Reduce data management costs.
One of the greatest challenges in producing digital publications using Web technologies is maintaining the code as standards change and dependencies update. By using a common ecosystem of applications, templates, and tools OPS publications are durable and sustainable. By avoiding bespoke code for each publication, volumes share a familiar user experience, adding a measure of consistency and stability often lacking in digital publications.
The OPS, as part of the Forum for Digital Culture and the Humanities Division, is partnering with the the University of Chicago Library in the creation a new digital structure, UChicagoNode, the core of which will be a platform that enhances digital research on campus, making all digital resources more easily discoverable.