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CHAMP
Standardise on an open document format.
Can the University standardise on open, accessible formats for publications in the future? being a Mac user it's incredibly annoying to be told "look at this" and then receive a .doc which inevitably won't appear properly, whereas something such as a PDF would be guaranteed to display properly, as published, on every platform.
I’m annoyed
6
people like this idea
I like this idea!
Tell me when this idea gets some attention.
The more people who like this idea, the more it gets noticed.
The more people who like this idea, the more it gets noticed.
The company has this under consideration.
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Inappropriate?Is PDF the most appropriate format for this? It's a closed document format. yes, it's universal but .rtf can be read on all platforms, too. The university desktop does give everyone access to PDF conversion tools, but not everyone knows how to use them. Are you talking about a document exchange format or a universal publishing format?
I’m undecided
2 people think
this is one of the best points
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This is one of the best points
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The key reason I mentioned PDF (I did consider RTF as an alternative) is that it is a widely (albeit not universally) supported publishing format, rather than a 'document' format. If a document needs to still be edited then obviously something like RTF (or ODF for preference, it can be set as the default format in Office 2007) would still be required, but if a document is to be considered 'published' as many things are (policies, forms, learning materials for reference etc) then PDF or an equivalent format should be used.
Incidentally, PDF is now an open standard as of 2008 (ISO32000), with OS X and most desktop Linux distros sporting in-OS support (and potentially Windows 7 as well, but no promises). -
Inappropriate?This is a fair point and something we can consider on a number of fronts. We can look at the formats we use within the Virtual Learning Environment (Blackboard) and for Library electronic resources, ecouraging the use of formats that have the widest possible usage. We can also review the formats produced via our admin processes, especially those that involve direct communication with end users.
I’m encouraged by Nick's idea
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Inappropriate?I support this initiative, and I am going to suggest that the University Library & LRCs make it formal policy (it is our standard practice in most situations, anyway).
Understanding that while PDF may not be universal, it is probably the closest thing we have in the University to a common format for circulation of printable material.
There are a number of potential problems that we in the Library will have to be aware of:
1. Some students' usual access to University services is through their employers' computer networks - we will need to take care that these students can view our PDFs, or provide an alternative format.
2. Accessibility of PDF format for users with visual or learning disabilities.
3. Copyright concerns. Some third-party material does not arrive in a universal format, and we may not have the right to convert it without the copyright-holder's permission, or under licence.
4. The need to ensure best-practice training for University staff on creating and using PDFs - for example, not using PDF where an HTML web page would be better, and ensuring manageable file-sizes.
I’m in agreement
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Inappropriate?Glad to see people have views on this. I'm also very much in favour of properly addressing accessibility, alternative formats and staff training (although I'm sure all three have significant overlaps).
I’m optimistic
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Inappropriate?Hi Nick
Great idea. In my area, Space Planning & Strategy, we'd have to publish *some* of our documents in their native formats as well, so that colleagues could still open and edit them natively when needed. However, it wouldn't add much overhead to provide both formats side by side where this is the case, and PDF only where editability isn't needed. We've started down this road already (https://portal.lincoln.ac.uk/C17/C0/S...).
I think standardising on PDF would be an easier prospect if Acrobat Standard, as opposed to just Adobe Reader, were installed as part of the standard desktop. Standard is helpful for flexible PDF publishing - splicing documents together, etc. I know Standard is accessible through Run Advertised Programs, but many people tend to use the Reader because it's the default.
Also, there is no University training in this area as far as I'm aware; it would be useful and might encourage adoption.
Sam
I’m optimistic
1 person thinks
this is one of the best points
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Inappropriate?Me too. It can be very annoying when you are trying to finish your assignment on time using a MAC only to realise you can't read the final reference due to a document type your OS doesn't support natively.
Good point.
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