taking a cue from modular processes in digital publishing, different relations between the content elements become apparent. These relations make new structures and reading paths possible.

How can the ‘afterlife’ of research publications such as journal articles be prolonged?

not only builds a sustainable afterlife, but also a sustainable relationship with the reader.

a feeling of urgency as we wish to see it: an urgency that is personal and situated, and that takes its time getting there, all the while not afraid to speak up about what matters most.

existing tools may digitize parts of the publishing process but fail to innovate how the industry works. Often, they reinforce the status quo, for example when it comes to how revenues are made (advertising) or audience reach is measured (unique visitors).

feel the need for publications that respond to urgent matters, this does not mean that they should do so in a way that leads too far from the message at hand. Urgency for these readers, lies in the why rather than the how of publishing a work.

for the purpose of urgent publishing, we would need to focus on openness, accessibility, and adaptability, on building communities rather than tracking stats, and on new forms for content instead of just optimizing the publishing process.

while readers value experiments and innovations, they only do so when it doesn’t cut in on the information given. Fancy multimedia or interaction design is not always appreciated.

Digital technologies have brought the printing press to the masses. Who gets to publish and when, the medium used, and the channels through which information is consumed have all changed drastically.

What forms do we need to tell an urgent story, or to tell a story urgently?

The networked culture of zines provides
an example of how books or other publications can be more than simply a product and transform into knowledge carriers that bring people together and maintain their relevance over time.

Language and concepts can help us think about the classification of knowledge, make us understand how the world is represented, and challenge us not to leave holes in our archives. The book, or any other publication, can serve as a catalyst for connection in the post-truth era, so we should fight harder to keep them from disappearing

As we know, the medium is the message. Couldn’t the digital book be put to work to foster a different message?

Currently, there is ample talk of a loss of reliable information or of a shared understanding of
facts and truths. Does this mean we should reach back to an imagined time when those might have seemed to exist? Or should we try to find other ways of presenting information; ways that allow more agency on the part of the reader, that resist the monolithic story line, and that show multiple perspectives without desperately seeking closure? We propose the latter

It is in the relations between modules that the relevance of content is to be found, and importantly, it is via such relations that the urgency of a topic can be articulated. Moreover, relations do not only function on the level of content structure, they also apply to the connections between different persons and objects involved in the publishing process. Key to other ways of presenting information, we found, is to not just have an author proclaiming something but to start from the idea that the book is doing something, and that it should be allowed to do so.

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