Section 02 of the register
Structure
A file can be perfectly correct and still be close to useless. What makes a book usable is its structure: heading hierarchy, print page targets, reading order, described images, and audio synchronised to the text.
- What it holds
- The shape of the book — headings, page targets, reading order, and images that have been described.
- What it does not
- Nothing of the text itself. What it lacks is publisher practice, which is where the format keeps failing.
Entries in Structure
Filed by format, not by title- Navigable, Not Just ReadableA wall of correct text is close to useless.
- DAISY, and What It Was ForA talking-book standard that married audio to structure so a reader could jump by chapter or page.
- EPUB Done ProperlySemantic markup, alt text and reading order in a format most publishers already produce.
- Alt Text Is Editorial WorkDescribing an image is a judgement about what the image is for in that page.
- The PDF ProblemA page image with letters printed on it carries no structure at all.