During a year like no other, digital preservation has become more important than ever for publishers. Storing valuable back catalogues in archives and having easy access to tools that permit online distribution has been especially pertinent in 2020 after the widespread uncertainly faced by the print publishing industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fact that Exact Editions facilitates the online preservation of magazines and books in exactly the same visual format in which they were first produced has meant that the platform was able to assist not only publishers who were encountering disrupted print processes during lockdowns, but also educational institutions whose learning formats needed to swiftly transition into an almost entirely virtual environment.

Assisting Books & Magazines: For Good

During the spring lockdown months, any book or magazine publisher was able to freely use Exact Editions’ innovative Reading Room technology as a means of distributing new issues to their readership as an alternative to the print issue, or as a supplementary resource as compensation for a late postal copy. 

Reading Rooms are time-limited links to individual digital issues, books, archives and book collections that are created in an Exact Editions publisher account and can be distributed by publishers across a range of online mediums, including social media, newsletters and presentation softwares. 

The advanced functionalities of the Exact Editions platform, such as the comprehensive search function and cross-platform compatibility, ensure the digital editions are easy to navigate and intuitive to read for all audiences. 

Independent music magazine The Wire distributed their complete archive through Reading Rooms to great effect at the beginning of the UK lockdown in March across their social media channels. You can find more details on their campaign in the case study here. 

Assisting Schools & Museums: For Good

Educational establishments founded themselves in the unprecedented situation of needing to change teaching formats to accommodate remote learning. 

11 of Exact Editions’ publishing partners rose to this growing need and we collaborated to offer digital resources for free.

Over 1000 schools around the globe signed up for the Remote Resources offer that comprised digital access to the archives of 10 prestigious magazines. You can read more about this in the press release here. 

Book publisher MuseumsEtc also offered the entire collection of books to museums for free for a 6-month period, ensuring museum professionals could access resources whilst working art home. 

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As the worlds of publishing and education adapt to the ever-changing ‘normal’ in this tumultuous period, producing or having access to reliable digital editions is something they should be able count on — not just for now, but for good. And as remote learning and off-campus study becomes even more important, digital editions that can be shared widely must be as rich, informative, and trustworthy as the periodicals, books and libraries that they supplement and sometimes displace.