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OEBPS, Open eBook Forum Publication Structure 1.0.1
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Format Description Properties
• ID: fdd000054
• Short name: OEBPS_1_0
• Content categories: text
• Format category: bitstream encoding, file format, bundle
• Last significant update: 2004-12-22
• Draft status: Partial
Identification and description 
| Full name | OEBF, Open eBook Forum Publication Structure 1.0.1 |
| Description | Open eBook Publication Structure (OEBPS) is an XML-based specification for the content, structure, and presentation of electronic books. OEBPS is maintained by the Open eBook Forum, a group of organizations involved in electronic publishing.
The standard comprises a set of files, including a mandatory package file, which incorporates a manifest listing all the other component files and a spine, which indicates logical reading order. In addition to text in XML, a reader for OEB publications must be able to render still images in JPEG and PNG formats. Content components in other formats may be included, but fallback content must be provided in one of the core OEB formats.
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| Production phase | This bundle of files is likely to be used primarily as a middle-state format, with dissemination to end-users managed through publishers or aggregators who provide in a form appropriate for different ebook viewers/players. |
| Relationship to other formats | |
| Used by | DTB, Digital Talking Book |
| Based on | XML_DTD |
| May contain | JFIF (JPEG File Interchange Format) |
| May contain | PNG |
| Has later version | OEBPS_1_2 |
Local use
| LC experience or existing holdings | OEBPS 1.0.1 is incorporated into the standard for the Digital Talking Book standard maintained by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), which is part of LC. As of Fall 2004, NLS had not produced talking books with full text. |
| LC preference | Among the preferred XML-based formats for textual works. |
Sustainability factors
| Disclosure | Open standard |
| Documentation |
Open eBook Forum Specifications
Open eBook Publication Structure Specification Version 1.0.1
|
| Adoption | TBD |
| Licensing and patent claims | None |
| Transparency | Text content must be in XML, which rates highly for transparency. |
| Self-documentation | The Package file can include Dublin Core metadata. |
| External dependencies | None. |
| Technical protection considerations | None in relation to publication structure and component files in the core OEB formats (XML, CSS, JPEG, PNG). |
Quality and functionality factors
| Normal rendering for text | Good support. |
| Integrity of structure | The logical structure of a document is an essential feature of OeBPS. |
| Integrity of layout | This version of the standard focuses on the textual content and the logical structure. Version 1.2 provides more control for content providers over presentation. |
| Integrity of rendering of equations, etc. | Not supported. |
| Beyond normal rendering for text | |
File type signifiers
| Tag type | Value | Note |
| Filename Extension | opf | Recommended extension for the required Package file. |
| XML DOCTYPE declaration | <!DOCTYPE package
PUBLIC "+//ISBN 0-9673008-1-9//DTD OEB 1.0.1 Package//EN"
"http://openebook.org/dtds/oeb-1.0.1/oebpkg101.dtd"> | |
| Filename Extension | xml | For textual content files. |
Notes
| General | Conforming reading systems must support XML, CSS, JPEG and PNG files. An OEBPS Publication may contain other kinds of files as well (including audio and video files), but must also provide a fallback version of the content in one of those four formats. |
| History | Version 1.0 of the Publication Structure was created in the winter, spring, and summer of 1999 by the Open eBook Authoring Group. The Authoring Group consisted of over 25 individuals from organizations participating in the Open eBook initiative, which had been launched in October 1998 and was convened and facilitated by NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology.) The Authoring Group included participants representing all aspects of the electronic publishing industry, and was open to any interested individual or organization. Following the release of OEBPS 1.0, the Open eBook Forum (OeBF) was formally incorporated in January 2000. Version 1.0.1, a maintenance release, was brought out in July 2001. OEBPS Version 1.2, incorporating new support for control by content providers over presentation along with other corrections and improvements, was released as a Recommended Specification in August 2002 |
Format specifications
URLs
• Open eBook Forum Specifications (http://www.openebook.org/specs.htm)
• Open eBook Publication Structure Specification Version 1.0.1 (http://www.openebook.org/oebps/oebps1.0.1/index.htm)
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Useful references
URLs
• Open eBook Forum (http://www.openebook.org/)
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Last Updated: 03/ 7/2007
