Independent Study Opportunity, Harvard Business Publishing Group, Watertown MA
Posted July 17, 2013
XML-focused Internship or Independent Study opportunity with Harvard Business School’s Publishing Group
Harvard Business Publishing’s Higher Education unit sells content from HBS and other sources to business schools around the world via our Harvard Business for Educators website as well as a series of business-to-business delivery models. The content we sell includes Harvard Business School case studies, case studies written by other top business schools, Harvard Business Review magazine articles and trade book chapters, and a series of eLearning products. The company is current managing a very large content transformation initiative for the Higher Education division. We’re evolving from a PDF-based distribution and workflow to an XML-based workflow that will allow us to add mobile-friendly (EPUB) and online (HTML) formats to our distribution. In addition to becoming “frontlist compliant” and generating XML-based content for all new content, the process will include converting roughly 10,000 backlist products as well.
We are continuing to build an internal process and capability that includes:
· Defining XHTML-based XML schema/DTDs and EPUB outputs for each product type;
· Creating/modifying XSLT and other transforms as necessary to convert Word-based documents to the XML master format;
· Monitoring the integration of product metadata (abstracts, learning objectives, authors, page length, etc.) into the new XML-based product formats;
· Creating/modifying schematrons and other validation tools to assist us with knowing when a document fails to successfully convert;
· And defining and managing quality assurance processes for reviewing flagged files and adjusting as necessary to ensure successful conversion.
This initiative falls outside the traditional LIS space. We’re looking for an intern or independent study candidate who has an interest in XML and data interoperability from the content workflow/production side. You do not need to be a software engineer at all, but technical interest and aptitude for looking at the ‘code’ of documents will be a key component of the work. Ideally you have taken, or are in the process of taking, GLIS classes such as:
· LIS 469 – XML – eXtensible Markup Language
· LIS 531Z – Data Interoperability and Web-Based Resources
· LIS 445 – Metadata
· LIS 448 – Digital Stewardship
This is a major strategic initiative for both Harvard Business Publishing and Harvard Business School. You will have the chance to help build and test a world-class XML content workflow for a publisher – a true “lab” environment for how XML benefits industry. And you’ll have the opportunity to work with some of the world’s premier consultants and vendors in the XML workflow and ebook space.
Harvard Business Publishing is located at the Arsenal complex in Watertown, Massachusetts. There is a free shuttle to the Arsenal from the Charles Hotel and other locations in Harvard Square.
Interested parties should contact:
Lisa Post
Assistant Director, Higher Education Content Production
Harvard Business Publishing