
                     DHARMANET BOOK TRANSCRIPTIONS:

                              A Guide For
                 Librarians, Transcribers, and Proofreaders


                                   by
                John Bullitt <john.bullitt@metta.ci.net>

                          v1.4 (March 13, 1995)



    +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
    |          Which parts of this Guide should you read?               |
    |          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~               |
    |                                                                   |
    |  If you are a...             Read...                              |
    |  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~             ~~~~~~~                              |
    |  DharmaNet Librarian         All of it                            |
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    |  Volunteer Transcriber       Section 1 (INTRODUCTION)             |
    |                              Section 5 (Tips for Transcribers)    |
    |                                                                   |
    |  Volunteer Proofreader       Section 1 (INTRODUCTION)             |
    |                              Section 4 (Matters of Style)         |
    |                              Section 6 (Tips for Proofreaders)    |
    |                                                                   |
    |  Volunteer Formatter         Section 1 (INTRODUCTION)             |
    |                              Section 4 (Matters of Style)         |
    +-------------------------------------------------------------------+


                                * * * *


                                CONTENTS

        {1}  Introduction
        {2}  Procedures
        {3}  The Structure of a DharmaNet e-text
                A. The README.1ST file
                B. The FILE_ID.DIZ file
                C. Other Files
        {4}  Matters of Style
                A. Faithfulness to the Original Text
                B. Detailed Style Considerations
        {5}  Tips for Transcribers
        {6}  Tips for Proofreaders

                                * * * *



  --------------------------------------------------------------------
                            {1} INTRODUCTION
  --------------------------------------------------------------------

  For more than 2,500 years the tradition of //dana//, or freely-offered
  generosity, has been both a fundamental support for the transmission 
  of Buddhist teachings from generation to generation, and an essential
  part of the Buddhist way of life. The teachings are traditionally
  offered freely, in recognition of their priceless nature.
  
  In keeping with this tradition, DharmaNet's Dharma Book Transcription
  Project aims to transcribe high-quality books on Buddhism into
  electronic form for free distribution on computer networks. DharmaNet
  does not "own" these electronic text ("e-texts") in any way. Rather,
  it simply provides the organization and human-power necessary to
  support the three stages of the distribution process:
  
       1. Securing permission from the appropriate source (usually the
          copyright holder -- often the author or publisher) for
          transcription and free distribution

       2. Making faithful transcriptions of the texts

       3. Freely distributing the e-texts
       
  The nature of the electronic medium is such that once an e-text is 
  released at any point in cyberspace it will inevitably leap to other 
  networks -- from DharmaNet to Fidonet to Internet and beyond -- as 
  people upload and download them from one computer to another. We hope 
  these e-texts will travel far and wide, becoming widely accessible to 
  whoever would like to read them.
  
  In order to make the e-texts accessible to everyone, regardless of the 
  type of computer hardware or software they use, we have tried to 
  standardize the format of these files. This document outlines the 
  procedures and technical standards required for faithful and 
  consistent transcription and distribution of the e-texts.


  This project is meant to be much more than a matter of getting as many
  Dharma books on-line as quickly as possible. The entire process --
  from recommending a book for transcription, to asking an author's
  permission, to volunteering as a transcriber or proofreader, to
  reading the finished e-text -- is a wonderful opportunity to practice
  mindfulness, generosity, patience, and many other qualities so
  important to Buddhist practice.

  It's a circle of generosity: the authors, many of whom have already
  given years of their lives to putting the Buddha's teachings into
  practice, offer their writings to us; transcribers and proofreaders
  give their time to make these words available to others; readers
  receive the books, read them, and bring the words to life in their
  lives and in the lives of those around them. The circle is complete.

  Whether you are a librarian, a transcriber, or a proofreader, if you
  ever find the work becoming an unpleasant joyless struggle, then
  perhaps you might do well to put it down for a while and examine
  closely: What am I doing? Why am I doing this? Every stage in the
  process of producing an e-text offers countless opportunities for
  practice. Kind of like life itself. <g>
  

  If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about this
  document, please get in touch with me at the e-mail address above.


          May all beings share the fruits of our good deeds!

  
                                * * * *
  


  --------------------------------------------------------------------
                             {2} PROCEDURES
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  The procedure for turning a book into a distributable e-text is not 
  complicated, but it does require careful coordination. DharmaNet file
  librarians ("Librarians"), appointed by the DharmaNet IC, coordinate
  the transcription of books with the pool of available volunteers.
  These volunteers perform three essential tasks: transcribing,
  proofreading, and formatting the text. These tasks may be done by the
  same person although, especially for larger and more complex books, it
  is strongly recommended that these tasks be performed by separate
  individuals. Proofreading, in particular, is best done by someone
  other than the one who transcribed the text. Decisions about
  distribution of labor are left to the discretion of the Librarian.
  
  Here is a sketch of the entire procedure, from beginning to end:

    Anyone may recommend to a Librarian a book for distribution on
    DharmaNet. If the Librarian thinks the book would be an appropriate
    addition to DharmaNet's file library, then it is up to him or her to
    contact the copyright holder (usually the author or publisher) for
    permission to transcribe and redistribute the book.
  
    Once written permission is obtained (either on paper or via e-mail),
    the Librarian sends a copy of the permission document to the
    DharmaNet IC for safekeeping.

    The Librarian then matches the book with a volunteer transcriber. If
    the volunteer doesn't already have a copy of the book, the Librarian
    can usually lend a copy to the volunteer. The Librarian should make
    sure that the transcriber is working on the same edition of the book
    for which permission was originally given.
  
    The volunteer transcriber types or scans the text into his or her
    computer, according to the guidelines spelled out below. This
    includes spell-checking and a minimal amount of formatting (just
    enough so that a printed version of the file would be easily
    readable by a proofreader). The volunteer returns the book by post
    and the file by e-mail (if possible) to the Librarian.
  
    The Librarian now matches the book with a volunteer proofreader, to
    check the accuracy of the transcription. The Librarian makes a
    printout of the file (laser, please!) and sends it, along with the
    original book to the proofreader. The proofreader should compare the
    two, marking corrections by hand on the printed copy. The
    proofreader then returns the marked printout and the original book
    to the Librarian.

    The Librarian now matches the book with a volunteer who will format
    the file for release. The Librarian sends the marked-up printout of
    the text, the original book, and the transcribed file to the
    formatter. Using a word processor, the formatter enters the
    proofreader's changes into the file, spell-checks it, and formats
    the file for easy on-screen reading. The formatter returns the book,
    printout, and the edited file to the Librarian.

    Finally, the Librarian assembles the file for release. If the
    Librarian is satisfied with both the integrity of the transcription
    and the organization of the files, (including accurate README.1ST
    and other information files--see below) then it is ready for
    release. The Librarian sends the file archive to the DharmaNet IC,
    who will then "hatch" the file out to all participating DharmaNet
    sites.


  It is important that the Librarian be involved at the intermediate
  steps in the process (as, for example, between proofreader and
  formatter), in order to oversee the accuracy of transcription. In
  practice, the Librarian usually does the final formatting, as s/he is
  usually the one with the clearest sense of what a DharmaNet e-text
  should finally look like.
  
  At the time of this writing, there are two librarians: one for
  Theravada books and one for Vajrayana. As DharmaNet continues to grow,
  more niches for specialized librarians may well emerge (Zen, Chinese
  Buddhism, etc.), making the cooperation and coordination among
  librarians essential in order to avoid duplications and confusion.



                                * * * *


  
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
                {3} THE STRUCTURE OF A DHARMANET E-TEXT
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  To help insure that it will only be offered freely, each e-text is 
  bundled together with a Distribution Agreement listing the author and 
  publisher data and including a statement explaining that 1) the e-text 
  may only be offered freely, in the spirit of dana, and 2) the 
  Distribution Agreement must always accompany the e-text.
  
  All e-texts are distributed as archives compressed in PKZIP 2.04g 
  format, using maximum compression ("-ex"). Each archive consists of at 
  least the following files:
  
       README.1ST     Distribution Agreement
       FILE_ID.DIZ    Brief description of the text for automated file 
                      cataloging software
       TITLE.TXT      Information from the title page and copyright page 
                      of the original book
  
  In very simple texts, especially those that have not been published 
  previously, there may be no need for a separate TITLE.TXT file. In 
  these cases the title information (author name and title of the text) 
  can be incorporated in the main text file of the archive.
  
  The archive also includes one or more files containing the actual text 
  of the book. In general only one book is contained in an archive, 
  although occasionally smaller pamphlets and booklets on a common theme 
  or by the same author may be compiled together for convenience.
  
  All text files in the archive are plain vanilla ASCII files with no 
  hardware- or software-dependent formatting. This restriction may 
  occasionally be relaxed to accommodate situations in which the text 
  depends on graphics, diacritical marks, or other special formatting.
  
  The name of the archive should be unique but sensible, giving at least 
  a hint (to someone browsing through a long file list) of what lies 
  within. In general it's better to avoid naming the file after the 
  author's name, as more files by the same author may be added later on.
  
  
  
  A. The README.1ST File
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  A sample README.1ST file accompanies this Guide. All entries should be 
  filled in. If any information is unknown, it should be filled in as 
  "N/A" (not available).

  Please note that, while the standard README.1ST *does* authorize
  copying and redistribution of the intact ZIP archive file, it does
  *not* authorize free reprinting and redistribution of the book. Some
  authors, however, may choose to give special permission allowing their
  book to be freely reprinted. Others may impose certain restrictions
  concerning distribution of the book. In either case, if the author
  chooses to spell out certain rights and restrictions not covered by
  the standard README.1ST "boilerplate" text, then those should be
  entered into the "ADDITIONAL RIGHTS AND RESTRICTIONS" field of the
  README.1ST file.

  
  
  B. The FILE_ID.DIZ File
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  The FILE_ID.DIZ file contains one or more lines of text with a short 
  description of the text -- usually the title, author, and a brief 
  description. Each line must contain no more than 45 characters. It is 
  permissible to shorten or abbreviate the title in order to stay within 
  the 45 character boundary. Just a few lines is sufficient.
  
  
  
  C. Other Files
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Depending on the complexity of the original book, there may be one or 
  many additional text files. In general these files correspond with all 
  the "parts" of the original book. For example, a large book having 
  many parts would have its parts divided into separate files as 
  follows:
  
          CONTENTS.TXT    Table of Contents
          FOREWORD.TXT    Foreword
          PREFACE.TXT     Preface
          ACKNOWL.TXT     Acknowledgments
          INTRO.TXT       Introduction
          CHAPT001.TXT    Chapter 1
          CHAPT002.TXT    Chapter 2
              ...           ...
          CHAPT123.TXT    Chapter 123
          APPENDIX.TXT    Appendices
          NOTES.TXT       Endnotes
          GLOSSARY.TXT    Glossary
          BIBLIO.TXT      Bibliography
          INDEX.TXT       Index
  
  Complex books may also include a batch file, MAKEBOOK.BAT, to allow PC 
  users to assemble the various parts of the book in the proper order 
  into a single document.
  
  Most books that DharmaNet distributes are much simpler than this 
  example, and so do not require so many separate files. It's helpful, 
  however, to divide the text into manageable chunks, logically 
  organized using the above scheme as a guide. (Keep in mind that the 
  end user may not have a large computer and so may not be able to load 
  a large file into memory.) On the other hand, too many files can make 
  a text difficult and annoying to read. As a rule of thumb, each 
  individual file should contain no more than about 50 printed pages.

  The text of the README.1ST file should be appended to the main text
  file in the archive. In works with many text files, the README.1ST
  text should go at the end of the last file in the archive.
  
  A record of any corrections made to typographical errors appearing in 
  the original text is kept in the file ERRATA.TXT. This would be the 
  last file in the archive. See Section {4} below, for more about the
  ERRATA.TXT file.
  
  
                                * * * *
  



  --------------------------------------------------------------------
                          {4} MATTERS OF STYLE
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  
  A. Faithfulness to the Original Text
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  DharmaNet aims to distribute e-texts that are both faithful 
  transcriptions of the original texts and that are in themselves 
  consistent in style and format. In practice it is often difficult to 
  realize both goals simultaneously, as many of the original texts may 
  themselves contain typographical errors or may not use punctuation 
  consistently. Transcribers and proofreaders are thus often faced with 
  subjective choices about how best to render a text.
  
  Keep in mind that this may be our one and only opportunity to 
  introduce these books into cyberspace. Once in cyberspace, these 
  e-texts will travel far and wide for many years to come, perhaps being 
  printed and published again in books or in other media. If 
  transcription errors are detected after a book has been released, it 
  is impossible to go back and make corrections to all the existing 
  copies. If these transcriptions are therefore to have any value at 
  all, they must be faithful reproductions of the original.
  
  While we want these transcriptions to be faithful to the original, we 
  also want them to be readable and consistent in style. For this reason 
  we have adopted a set of style guidelines (see below). These 
  guidelines usually demand only occasional and minor adjustments to the 
  texts (for example, putting double slashes around words to denote 
  //italics//.) If, however, significant editing would be required to 
  make a text conform to DharmaNet's style standards, then the original 
  copyright holder, author, or publisher should be consulted.
  
  DharmaNet's style guidelines do //not// allow for modifying the 
  meaning of the texts. For example, if we come across language that to 
  our ears sounds old-fashioned or patriarchal, we are not authorized to 
  "modernize" the language by changing "men" to "humans." Whenever this 
  kind of thorny conflict arises between fidelity and stylistic 
  consistency, we should always err on the side of fidelity.
  
  Sometimes transcribers come across obvious errors in the original text 
  (e.g., "He walked form the village," when clearly "from" was 
  intended). In such cases it is acceptable to make corrections, 
  provided that a record of the changes is kept in the file ERRATA.TXT, 
  which would be included in the archive.
  
  It is allowable (that is, preferable, but not mandatory) to
  "Americanize" the spelling of words ("colour" becomes "color,"
  "practise" becomes "practice," etc.).
  
  
  
  B. Detailed Style considerations
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  1. Except where noted otherwise, text files should be prepared using 
     standard MLA or CMS (Chicago Manual of Style) format. In addition,
     certain modifications are necessary to make allowance for the
     electronic medium.
  
  2. The maximum line width should not exceed 72 characters, so that 
     people with a variety of terminals can read the texts without
     irritating line wrapping.
  
  3. Paragraphs should be ragged right, with a column width of 72
     characters. Block quotes are indented 10 characters from each
     margin, and are also ragged right.
  
  4. Use the double quote character (") for quotations, and the single 
     quote (') for sub-quotations. For further levels of sub-quotations,
     continue alternating double and single quotes.
  
  5. The text should be saved in plain ASCII or "Text" or "DOS Text"
     format. No ASCII codes outside the range 32 to 126 should be
     included.
  
  6. Since attributes such as underlining and italics are not available 
     in ASCII, please use the following conventions:
       
       *bold*               //italics//        ^superscript^
       ~subscript~         _underline_
       
       em-dash (long dash) should be represented by a double hyphen 
            surrounded by spaces. (Example: "He entered the temple -- the
            one in the village -- just as the moon rose.")
       en-dash (short dash, as between a range of numbers) should be 
            represented by a single hyphen. (Example: "Read chapters 5-9").
  
  6.1 When italicized text is enclosed in parentheses, do //not//
      italicize the parentheses:
        wholesome (//kusala//) mind-states (CORRECT!)
        wholesome //(kusala)// mind-states (INCORRECT!)
  
  7. Since diacritical marks are not available in ASCII, they should
     simply be ignored. For example, n-tilde becomes "n";
     a-with-a-bar-over-it (a-macron) becomes "a"; t-dot-under becomes
     "t"; etc.).
  
  8. Since page length loses its meaning in the electronic medium, 
     reference to page numbers in the text should be augmented with
     references to sections and paragraphs. For example, "(see p. 15)"
     might become "(see p. 15 [Chapter 2, paragraph 3])". Note that page
     numbers are retained.
  
  9. The style of section headings and subheadings should imitate those 
     in the original book as closely as practicable. Sections should
     always be separated by blank lines. This includes section headings,
     paragraphs, bibliography entries, and individual footnotes.
     Judicious use of multiple blank lines between major sections can
     make the text much easier on the eyes. You may also use rows of
     tildes to simulate underlining in section headings.
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  10. Numbered footnotes should be set in square brackets (e.g., [12]).
      The actual citations should be placed as endnotes at the end of
      each file. If the original book has endnotes rather than
      footnotes, the notes should all go in a separate file (e.g.,
      "NOTES.TXT"). If the work has only a small number of footnotes,
      they may be treated as unnumbered footnotes (see below).
  
  11. Unnumbered footnotes (indicated by asterisks or daggers, for
      example) may be handled in either of two ways:
     A. They may be set in square brackets using asterisks ("[*]"). The
        actual citation should be placed after the end of the paragraph
        in which the footnote appeared.
     B. They may be numbered consecutively throughout the book. In this case
        they become "numbered footnotes," and treated as described in the
        preceding paragraph.
  

  12. Words with British spellings may be "Americanized." For example,
      "colour" becomes "color," "practise" becomes "practice," etc. Of
      overriding importance is //consistency// of style in a given book;
      this means that spellings should be either consistently British or
      consistently American throughout.


                                * * * *


  --------------------------------------------------------------------
                       {5} TIPS FOR TRANSCRIBERS
  --------------------------------------------------------------------

  Here are a few tips to make the transcription process easier on all of us:

    * Spell check your file before sending it to the Librarian.

    * Be sure to submit your finished transcription as a plain ASCII
      text file. Most word processors allow you to save files in this
      no-frills format. The files we release must be in this format so
      that everyone can read them, regardless of the software or
      hardware they use. Also, the Librarian, proofreader, or whoever
      will be doing the final formatting may not happen to have the same
      word-processing program that you used.

        If for some reason you're unable to do this, contact the
      Librarian -- s/he may have the software tools to translate your
      file into plain ASCII.

        How do you know if you saved the file as a plain ASCII file? If
      you're using DOS, look at the file using the TYPE command
      (Example: "TYPE MYFILE.TXT | MORE"). If it's readable, with no
      funny characters or unexpected gaps, then it's probably OK.

    * Do //not// submit to the Librarian a file that's in some
      page-layout program format -- for example, a file produced by
      QuarkXpress or PageMaker. The Librarian usually won't have the
      resources to convert these files to ASCII.

    * Don't spend too much time making the text look "pretty" on the
      page. As long as it's clearly readable when printed out, it's OK.
      Your main task is just to get the text into machine-readable form.
      Remember that when you save the file as plain ASCII, all your
      italics, fancy fonts, and all that, will disappear anyway, so
      you're better off keeping it simple from the start.


    * Please enjoy your transcription work. If at any point you find
      you're simply not enjoying doing it, and it becomes a struggle,
      put it down for awhile and try again next week. If it continues to
      be a struggle, please feel free to return the book along with
      whatever portion of the transcribing you've finished.


                                * * * *


  --------------------------------------------------------------------
                       {6} TIPS FOR PROOFREADERS
  --------------------------------------------------------------------

    * Use a red pencil or other high-contrast marker when marking up the
      printed copy. This makes it //much// easier on the formatter's eyes.

    * If you know them, please use the standard proofreader's marks. Ask
      the Librarian if you're not familiar with these.


  
                                * * * *



                    Sabbadanam dhammadanam jinati

               The gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts!



[end of file]
