Every BWB Collection is a ‘living resource’. We regularly add new and handpicked books to the Collections, from both BWB’s publishing and beyond.
Optimised for mobile and tablet devices: BWB Collections are fully responsive, meaning they are accessible on the widest possible range of devices – from big desktop computers to small smart phones – and ideal for ‘BYOD’ classrooms and diverse library memberships.
Powered by the web: Accessible via any modern browser, BWB Collections sit naturally alongside the open web and today’s research workflows. Using web standards in the platform’s construction presents administrators with no unfamiliar technology and little or no learning curve for users.
Authoritative content: BWB has long been acclaimed as one of New Zealand’s finest non-fiction publishers, with many award-winning books populated throughout the Collections.
Unrestricted subscriber access: Members of subscribing organisations can access Collections without restriction. Want to open multiple books at the same time? Keep books open even after leaving the Collection? Leave a book open on your laptop all day? No problem.
Designed for reading: We worked hard to make the Collections environment uncluttered and intuitive. Books are presented within a highly-readable design from creative design agency Base Two using type from award-winning typeface design studio Klim Type Foundry.
Powerful and fast loading: BWB Collections is built on the Amazon Web Services Cloud to provide a highly scalable and ultra-reliable service. Full book chapters regularly take just two seconds to load and we will continue to optimise this.
Detailed and private analytics: Subscribers receive regular usage reports using industry-leading standard COUNTER by default, including a dedicated portal login.
Book as URI: Every book has its own permanent domain – i.e. http://fatalnecessity.bwb.co.nz – meaning intelligible web links right down to a paragraph by paragraph level can be generated and shared. Rich semantics also allow precise endnote, index and other content linking.
Connected citations: As a CrossRef member, we have, where possible, linked references directly to source material using persistent links. A reader can click on these references and be taken directly to the citation source outside of the Collection. These permanent digital identifiers help embed BWB Collections within wider research networks and workflows.
Compatible with hardcopy books: Reading and learning today requires a rich mix of digital and hardcopy resources. Acknowledging this, books in BWB Collections retain their hardcopy page numbers to assist shared digital and print usage. They also act as helpful reference points, locatable directly using permanent URLs for each and every page number.
Big, bright and linked images: The generous proportions of our responsive design matched with high-quality image files means illustrated books look great on any device. We have also linked many images directly to Digital NZ, so that readers can easily jump off into more detail on a particular image.
Connected content: We are exploring new ways to connect our Collections with other great New Zealand digital content. Titles in the Treaty of Waitangi Collection, for example, feature dozens of biographies from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography embedded throughout the books thanks to a partnership with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
Full text search: Readers can search right across a Collection or individual titles using full text search. Simple and clear search results originate from a powerful search engine with more features to come.
Flexible content use: Chapter printing is permitted for personal use and a custom print style sheet has been designed for each Collection. Offline access, delivered through the web browser, is on the development roadmap.
Simple access control: To avoid unnecessary complexity and account conflicts, BWB Collections can be accessed using organisation-wide IP authentication and password access.
Teacher notes: For a growing number of titles we have teacher notes that connect books to the secondary school curriculum, including details on which levels, achievement standards, and activities may be suitable for each book.
A true publishing platform: BWB can publish instantly and iteratively to BWB Collections using our in-house XHTML digital production workflow. Our editorial team carefully curates and grows the content of each Collection.
Please note BWB is committed to the ongoing development of the Collections platform and these features may evolve or change at any time. Please contact BWB for more information about the development state of the platform at any time.
