What a difference an archive makes - digital databases; magazine publishing

"Have we ever written about widgets before?" No doubt there's someone on staff with a photographic memory who can answer, "Yeah, we did a three-page feature on widgets. It's in the June 1991 issue."

Unfortunately, office queries can also be a little more obscure: "Who's the president of Global Grommets?" Everyone knows you've written about Global--at least once. But nobody can remember when. So you have to take the time to call Global to get the name--and spelling--of its president.

Even if you do have someone who fills the role of office librarian, you should consider building a digital archive of your magazine. An archive can consist of a system that stores text, images, or even complete pages from your page-layout software.

A wide variety of software that can handle your archive is available, ranging from PC- and Macintosh-based applications that cost just a few hundred dollars, to advanced Unix-based systems that would run you thousands of dollars. (See sidebar, this page.)

But why should you archive? Here are some reasons:

Editorial-at-a-glance: Aside from providing you with the name of that guy from Global, an archive will also improve your general accuracy and style consistency. A quick check of the archive not only locks in on the spelling of a name, but also lets you know if you've always referred to the person as "Robert" or "Bob," for example.

Art history: In terms of images, an archive of graphics or pictures lets your staff see what types of illustrations and photos have been used in the past. Also, it can provide editors with a portfolio of the range of styles various artists and photographers use.

Unfortunately, unless the work is done by staffers--or your freelance contract specifically addresses the issue of subsequent publishing rights--you won't be able to reprint these photos or graphics without contacting the photographer or artist to buy reproduction rights once again. But if you use staff-supplied or rights-free material on a regular basis, an image database can make it easy for editors to find illustrations for current or future editions.

Closing the deal: The ad department will fall in love with a database of your magazine's completed pages. If you digitally place ads, the sales department can call recent customers on deadline and say, "We've got a deal on one-third pages--and if you let us pick up the ad from our database, we'll get you in the next issue for just ... ." It's a great way to fill those little holes that pop up.

Further, you can offer advertisers the opportunity to make minor collections on material they've already printed because in the database you'll have an editable version of the ad.

Reprints, anyone? The marketing department, which may be sending out story reprint orders (or avoiding the topic because reprints are just too tough to do), can start handling this business in-house. A story can be quickly pulled off a full-page archive, reformatted for a reprint, and sent to the printer.

New-media matters: Probably the most compelling argument for developing an archive is the growing field of new media. Although online systems can be augmented by having an archive (many publishers use the output of an archiving system to drive online environments), CD-ROMs truly depend on the availability of digital content.

An interactive CD-ROM can contain text, photos and illustrations, as well as audio and motion video. Three of the five ingredients are easy to obtain if you store your magazine's back issues electronically.

Access to back issues makes it easier to create a CD-ROM because the producer (whether it's someone in-house or an outside contractor) can review all the material you've printed on a specific topic and quickly start building a storyboard for the interactive environment.

There are lots of reasons to have an archive of your magazine--and many will not only save you money, but make you some as well.

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