The ABE Lab project started on the first of january 2023.
The main objective of the project will be achieved by analyzing and testing the processes and workflows by which ebooks of different types and formats (PDF, EPUB, Reflowable and fixed layout) can be transformed into accessible EPUB in the easiest and less expensive way.
In the context of the project, the partners will test several workflows using existing open-source and commercial tools to perform remediation tests of inaccessible ebooks. The study will consider different levels of complexity of source ebooks and will evaluate the associated costs of remediation.
Reports on progress will be posted here.
The ABELab project was publicly presented during the follwoing events
NIPI Include! (Malmö, 24/04/2023) LIA accessibility camp (Madrid, 09/06/2023) Private presentations also occurred, the following list is non exhaustive.
FEP Accessibility interest group meeting French publisher’s meeting Italian’s publisher’s meeting Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels publisher’s meeting Crius Live Webinar for publishers Online Bibliotheek Caffé con LIA
Publishing houses partnership is important to the ABELab project as it allows us to perform analysis and testing on files actually in distribution.
The following publishing houses are participating to the project:
GYLDENDAL (Danemark) thieme (Deutshland) Werner Söderstöm Ltd (Finland) Hachette Livre (France) Editis (France) Gallimard (France) Editions Foucher (France) Fenixx (France) Media Participations (France) FrancoAngeli (Italy) Gruppo GEMS (Italy) Il Mulino (Italy) Gruppo Mondadori (Italy) MH Education (Spain and UK) AW Bruna (The Netherlands) Boom (The Netherlands) Gottmer (The Netherlands) Pluim (The Netherlands) Singel (The Netherlands) Van Oorschot (The Netherlands)
The report was officially released on October 30th 2023 and is available for free download on the ABELab deliverables webpage.
ABE Lab is a collaborative project aiming to provide publishers with detailed information about options and costs for remediation to make backlist ebooks accessible. European Digital Reading Lab (EDRLab), Fondazione LIA and Koninklijke Bibliotheek the National Library of the Netherlands are partners of this Creative Europe funded project. A complete description of the project is available at the ABE Lab project webpage....
Overview ABE Lab is a Creative Europe funded project operated by three partners: the European Digital Reading Laboratory (EDRLab), the Fondazione Libri Italiani Accessibili (LIA) and the National Library of the Netherlands (KB).
In the context of the European Accessibility Act, publishers are producing more and more accessible ebooks. But many titles produced in the past are still on sale, this is what we call the backlist. And though the costs to keep ebooks on the market are often low compared to that for printed books (which need physical storage and reprinting), it is important to understand that ebook titles can also disappear from the market if revenues no longer cover costs....
Remédier le fonds ? (panneau 1) Présentation du projet Accessible backlist ebooks (ABE Lab), France, 8 février 2023.
Contexte (panneau 2) Comment un éditeur peut-il évaluer l’impact de la conversion de ses titres ? Des études antérieures, dans différents pays, ont montré des résultats très différents.
L’étude récente d’Accenture, française, est certainement la plus aboutie jusqu’à présent. Donc une bonne base de travail pour des études à l’échelle européenne....